Founding
by SuccubusYuri
Summary: The Thirteenth Order, and how, just maybe, they influenced Kingdom Hearts more than we know. Begins 9 years prior to KH1, ends at Chain of Memories. DISCONTINUED
1. Default Chapter

**Letter from the writer: **

This story will likely be obsolete in a matter of months. I don't hold any grudges because of this, but I plan on finishing the final chapter just as KH2 is released, effectively giving perfect timing to this story's untimely end. Kinda masochistic I suppose...

Don't be confused by the nature of this story, or the format it is written. On the one hand, I prefer to include as much storyline of this form as I can, but at the same time, I have chosen to not include the remaining Jusan kikan (the thirteen machines), to keep it as simple as the style allows, I have only included those members we have met in Chain of Memories, and also refuse to name those we haven't met, so they'll be refferred to as 'person' or whatever. If you have read Animorphs, I have adopted a mega-morph style, each chapter from a different point of view, a different character (I'm really not interested in the technical name). I hope this ends up as cool as I want it, to cover all the angles. Other than the first chapter, these are all more or less in a chronological order. This is because I feel the first chapter MUST be first, don't question me.

Oh, and for those who DIDN'T play Chain of Memories, you may simply get confused, but I try to keep this so that even KH1-ers can keep up.

I took up this story because this is just a wierd realm of character development. Judging from Riku and King Mickey, the person one is BEFORE the Org. and the person one is AFTER joining are very different people. I kinda like the idea of having to make up a character, but giving them a set destination on their spiritual map. I doubt I'll make any other fan-fics again.

Also, forgive the boring writing, this is the first draft of my first attempt at first peron narrative, so be gentle P. The introductarysectionfor this story, being told from seven viewpoints, is rather long, I have, at the moment, placed up to chapter 15, because that is when the storylines begin to merge.

Finally, I always have 3 or 4 chapters written in advance, if you find someone's current storyline needs to be resolved NOW, feel free to request their next chapter.

**1**

**-unknown-**

A rip. A shearing sensation. A draining of the senses, and then, emptiness. Nothing. Cold, dark, pain, sorrow. Yet...warm, happiness, joy, energy. But nothing compared to that darkness. I didn't know why, but what was the reason for me being created like this? Was this birth? It felt like death. Creation and destruction, all at the same time, tearing up your soul like a whirlpool, nothing was spared from my inner thrashing.

I woke up...somewhere. I opened my eyes. _The light_, what the...? _Aaaahhhhh! _The pain was unbelievable. What was wrong with me? I covered my eyes with my hands, curling up to protect myself futily from this 'demon light monster'. I don't really know, how can one explain this to someone who doesn't understand? I felt like the Divine was rejecting me, the light burned, seared me. It was a bomb, a major throbbing headache within my eyes.

_No wait...eye._ Only my left eye burned... That was wierd. _What the heck is wrong here?_ I had never heard of a disease that attacked one eye. It couldn't be an infection, I was just...born. I opened my right eye. No, nothing. I chanced a peek through the left. _Pain..._

Something definitely was wrong with me...but what it was I just couldn't understand. I took in my surroundings. It was evening, the sun was setting. My world was...beautiful. I could see birds flying through the air. A gentle breeze was blowing. I looked down the valley in front of me, some kind of town. Densely populated, by the looks of it. A giant clock tolled out. Six o'clock, nightfall wasn't too far behind. I shrugged to myself, _If night comes, I better find shelter for the time being._ I made my way to the intimidating town, seeking refuge, a home, a friend...


	2. 2

**2**

**Lexaeus**

"Now look, I'm telling you, man, she does like you," Zexion said as we sat down at the cafe. We'd just got done with another day, a tough one. We both worked in the energy plant, us and a few other guys. Every week at least once the two of us would wind down in this cafe in the first district. It was always pretty crowded, but we went anyway. The longer the better I suppose, Zexion and I had been best friends since we were little kids, I can't think of someone I have a better time with.

Although at the moment Zexion was focused on hooking me up with our waitress. "Lexaues, I'm telling you, she's got it for you, come on," he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and pointed me at her with a big grin across his face. "All you gotta do, is go up to her, and say, 'Hey babe, you wanna go out?' That's not too hard now is it?"

"Zex, I'm really not in the mood. Maybe another time."

"Jeez man, that's what you said last week, and the week before if I'm not mistaken." This time he put his hands on my face. Normally I'd make someone pay for that by breaking their wrist, but like I said, Zexion was my best friend. "Come on, you know you want to, look at her! How can you resist?"

I brushed his hands from my face, "If she's so great why don't you go for it?"

Zexion gave me his innocent, misunderstood look. He was over-dramatic, mostly because he was a kidder, I'd gotten used to it, but it still annoyed the hell out of me sometimes. "Cuz it's not _me_ she's got the hots for. Lex, buddy, I am telling you, as a woman expert here, she definitely thinks you are cute."

"Sorry Zex, not buying it." I said taking a sip of my water.

"OK then, you know what I'm going to do? I'm gonna ask her for you."

I opened my mouth to shut him up, it just so happened our waitress was making her way to us to take our order. "Zex," I muttered under my breath, "if you try to pull anything I will hurt you so bad."

The waitress came over and smiled brightly, "Hi can I take your order now guys? Or just the usual?" While I didn't agree I should go out with her, I did agree with Zex that she was pretty. I elbowed Zexion in his side, warning him not to pull anything. Although I realized too late he might just interperet it as a signal to go ahead.

"Yea the usual," Zex said, and then he got that sly look, and I knew he was going for it, "But actually, one thing, my friend here was, you know, wondering if you..." but the waitress wasn't looking at us anymore, she had her gaze fixed on the sky behind us. Zex looked back and I followed his lead, and there was the wierdest thing I had ever seen. A...shower. Some kind of meteor shower. But it was different, it was bright, like a purple/blue tinted glow, cascading down the sky. I sat there and oggled it, but Zex, Zex stood up and went outside, so the balcony wouldn't obstruct his view I guess. I could hear people talking, saw them pointing at the sky. And while all of us saw it as a beautiful display, fascinatng, even enchanting, but Zex...

I had never seen him like this. Not recently at least. My memory flashed back to our childhood, and thoughts I had about him. He was great, but it always seemed that he was missing something. Not that he was inadequate, far from it, I have never known a better man. But there was always..._something_...missing from his life I thought. Like he was, I don't know, special in some way. I always figured he'd become a great leader or something. A powerful scientist or what-not. I had thought that when we both applied to the work in the plant. He seemed too good to be working a menial job and rooming with his childhood buddy in the third district.

As he stared at the sky, I saw him become enveloped in his own thoughts. I could see a thousand possibilities racing through his eyes. And for the first time in my life, or in his I think, I saw happiness. Not ha-ha happy, but, contentment. He seemed like he belonged, for once, and I felt...happy...for him for that.

And Zex stood that way, staring at the sky, transfixed by it, even long after the last few meteors had fallen, and he told me to go on home without him, and he didn't come in until really late, I had fallen asleep before it, and he was awake before me the next morning, something that hadn't happened in a long while. Whatever void he had in his life, I think it was about to be filled.


	3. 3

**3**

**Larxene**

"Um, excuse me..." a tiny voice asked from behind my desk. I looked up from my reading, and after a moment's hesitation on my brain's part, recognized the voice was a child. I leaned over and saw a couple of kids, two small boys, probably not even old enough for school, about the same age as that Tidus kid who lived next door. One was behind, he was kind of doing his own thing, his brown hair seemed kind of messy, but organized messy I guess. The other one, the one who bothered speaking to me, seemed a little older, and had a wierd platinum/sliver hair color. I didn't know if it was dyed or what, but then again, on this island I've seen wierder, like a couple of nights ago when there was that meteor shower.

Either way, as a 15 year old girl, working as a summer secretary for the mayor, these two kids were too cute, especially from all the stuffed-shirts I had to see through all day every day, it was a nice change of pace.

I looked over and smiled at the boy staring at me with the innocent eyes, "Well little guy, anything I can do for you?"

"Um..." he began, seeming kind of embarrassed, or uncertain at least, "could we talk to the new girl?"

I got lost for a second, but I remembered something about a strange girl showing up the night of the meteor shower. I winked at the silver-haired boy, "Oh, a couple guys looking to hook-up huh?"

This didn't seem to amuse him, "Ew, no."

I laughed to settle him down, "It's OK, I'll go ask the mayor, I don't think he's seeing anyone just yet, it'll only take a minute." I walked over to the mayor's door behind my little semi-cubicle, and knocked three times.

"Come in," a voice said. I entered and saw the mayor, at his desk, just filling out some forms for land distribution. I knew it was probably a bad time, there had been calls to develop this little island south of the mainland, but the mayor was steadfast in his support to keep it clear of development. It was almost a sanctuary for the kids here, and he wanted it to remain a playground forever. That was hard, there were only a couple islands left to build on, we were growing a little fast for our own good I suppose. But this entire week, and booked all next, were citizens and people he was going to try and convince to join his position. "Excuse me, sir, but there are two little boys here wondering if they could speak with the little girl who showed up at your house?"

He smiled, but seemed upset at the same time, "I'd love to but I haven't got the time right now, and I'm not so sure she's over the shock. I think she has amnesia, no memory of her parents, of her home, anything."

"Well," I offered, trying to sound as innocent and helpful as possible, "you know I could take them down, it would only be for a minute, I wouldn't be gone long."

"Well Larxene, you've been a big help, can you make it back before my appointments begin?"

"Can do," I said smiling. _Anything to get out of this stuffy place._ "Thanks a lot, sir." I went back to the boys in the lobby, they were looking at pictures, and just joking with each other. "Excuse me gentlemen," I said, and they both came over and tried their best to be taller than the desk. "Well," I said, trying to sound official, "after much persuasion, the mayor didn't want to at first," they started to look a little disappointed, but I winked at them before they could process it, "but I managed to sucker him into it. I can bring you, wanna come?"

"Yes," they both said, almost in unison. I had to giggle to myself, these two were precious.

"OK then follow me," I said, and opened the door for the two of them. The mayor's house was the next street over from city hall luckily, but I knew these two could find it on their own. This WAS a small island, everyone knew everyone for the most part, especially the mayor, kind of hard to miss a big name like him. While we were walking, I decided to put the kids at ease, they were probably a little nervous, I was, at least. This girl was...an enigma. I had no clue why she just appeared, it was really wierd. "So what are your names?"

Brown-haired boy came up to me, while it appeared the silver-haired kid just kind of ignored me. "I'm Sora," he said, making it sound like a grand expression, like I should remember that name. Kids. "And this is Riku," he told me, with slightly less enthusiasm.

"Well guys, here we are," I said, gesturing at the mayor's house. "Need me to introduce the great Sora and Riku?" I asked winking.

Riku walked forward, going to the door, "No thanks, we can do it."

"OK," I told them, "if they give you any trouble, tell them Larxene said it was OK."


	4. 4

**4**

**Vexen**

Heartless.

I had spent the past few years around them, studying them for signs of humanity, to discover if they truly were all darkness. That had been my assignment before the sage Ansem had disappeared, before the dark days.

It used to be that I was in charge of discovering the good in Heartless, if there was any. I had seen the Heartless forged from our greatest champions, after they had succumbed to the darkness. Ansem had asked me to study them, to discover how much was dark, how much was light. There was Hojo, he was in charge of the subdivisions that studied Ansem's synthetic Heartless. Whenever I could I volunteered my time there. So much to do, I had fun rigging experiments for the two types to complete, or analyze. I envied Hojo's job. Not that mine wasn't without fulfillment, I actually preffered my subject area, analyzing the darkness and light that way, it's just my experiments always yielded the same results, at least Hojo's had unpredictability.

But that was before the war. Now all of us involved with Ansem's project had to work with the bio-warfare department. What was worse was that Ansem himself was gone, his timing was the same time the Heartless appeared, we can only assume he was taken by the darkness, a true defender of the people to the last. We tried day and night to come up with a way to stop the Heartless, but no solution ever came. It was awful. Only a few weeks, and we hadn't even managed a half-baked defense. Pitiful really, the army had been in big trouble. Now we were backed into the Bastion. That was all that was left of our beautful world, this tiny corner of it was left, surrounded on all sides, we had seen two non-Heartless with them, a woman, gray, aged, somehow, like she was holding herself together with nothing. She carried a staff, with a green jewel set into its top. The only name she had to us was "witch". Another being, a brown cloaked figure, always stood by her side. Who was in charge, we couldn't tell. But whoever it was, they had beaten us.

It was during one of my many hopeless stupors I wandered around, and entered the courtyard. I looked over and saw a blonde-haired man fitting little cubes together. Cid was commissioned by the Guard to get us off this rock. There was nothing we could do, we knew that the Heartless were searching for something. Hojo had called it a "keyhole". We looked through Ansem's notes, all we found was a description. He hadn't left directions how to reach it, nevermind how to keep the Heartless from it. It didn't matter. I looked back from the sky and saw Cid talking with the newly appointed Captain of the Guard, a young kid named Squall. Squall was a military man, if somewhat wet behind the ears, and Cid, well Cid always had a reputation for undermining authority. I decided perhaps I could be better use anywhere than my assignment, and walked over.

"How's it goin'?" Cid nodded in my general direction.

"Any luck?" Squall asked, yet one could detect the hopelessness he betrayed in his voice.

"No more than usual." I responded, undoubtedly equally depressed in my tone. "What's the status of the Gummi ship?"

"Well, I think we might just get 'er done before this place gets swallowed," said Cid. "It'll be close, but if anyone can handle it, I can."

Squall put his hand to his face, almost as if tired of Cid's cockiness, but I have to admit, it wasn't without merit, for either of them for that matter.

"How many will the gummi ship be able to hold?" Squall asked.

"Depends how much time you can give me," answered Cid doubtfully. "Right now, I can hold maybe three or four, I can add a couple layers here and there each day, this stuff is very flexible and easy to form." He scratched his head, cigarette almost burned out in his mouth. "How many do we need?"

"Only three children left," said Squall, "This Cloud kid, a girl named Aerith, and a toddler, Yuffie. None of them have parents anymore. Everyone else is expendable, the bigger she gets the more can get off."

"Wrong, kid," countered Cid, "you too. You might not like it, you're still a child, teenager, but still a child. I'm puttin' you in this thing too."

Squall didn't seem to happy with Cid's blunt attitude, but I decided to step in, "I agree. You should get in too when it's ready." He scowled a bit, but went off as if to silently concede his defeat.

"Oh well, better get back to work." said Cid, and he went back to the strange gummi blocks that appeared with the Heartless.

I went off to my own studies. A slim chance might exist to beat the Heartless, but I didn't honestly believe so. But I kept telling myself that there was, so I might go on, hopefully to buy Cid enough time to get us all inside his ship.


	5. 5

**5**

**Axel**

I didn't know why, but that meteor shower was still bugging me. I have no clue why, it had been weeks, and yet I still ran it through my mind. Something intrigued me about it. I didn't know. But my little countryside here was getting boring since then. I had always been the best fighter in the area. It was just fine, we'd spar, usually I'd win, a few people got the better of me, my wind and fire wheels gave me limitations, but combat was fun, it was a living in the remote areas, monsters and what not. I had been hired by a farmer to exterminate some pesky serpents around here. I was up in the mountains, scouting caves for as many of the things as I could, I was getting paid by the head.

I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye and threw my wheel at it. I saw the snake's head flop up and fall off, I caught my wheel on the return. It was easy enough work, it was just finding the damn things.

"Nice arm," a deep voice said behind me. I spun around. It probably wasn't a threat, but I never liked being surprised. Someone was standing there. He was wearing a huge brown cloak. He wasn't very tall, and I tried to but couldn't catch a glimpse of his face. "It's a shame to lose an ability like that," the figure said.

"Lost?" I asked him. I didn't think he was a threat still, but that sounded like one.

"Yes, I have come to see the door to this world," he replied.

"This world?" I asked. What was this guy's problem? If he was implying he was from another world, it would figure I'd get suck with a nutcase. I have no idea why I always get stuck in these situations. Just my luck I guess.

"You do not understand what lies beyond this world. This door has now been connected. Tied...to the darkness."

_Right, buddy, now go fly off into the distance, I have work to do, _but before I could form my thoughts into words, the figure twisted, melted, and faded away.


	6. 6

**6**

**Vexen**

"Move, move!" soldiers rushed by the door. This was it. The Heartless were rushing us. The final battle, the final darkness. Now it was at hand. Everyone, scientists, soldiers, civilians, we were all grabbing weapons. I found a spiked shield, grabbed it, hoped to cover the backs of some of the better fighters. I grabbed a spear, ran into the courtyard, and saw Cid arguing with Squall.

"Damnit, where is he?" Cid was bellowing, some kind of interrogation it seemed, "We can't leave without him."

"What's wrong?" I asked, coming up behind them.

"That kid Cloud is missing, no one can find him," Squall told me. "We have Aerith and Yuffie, no Cloud."

"Well then you two jump in, and take off," I told them, "Here," I said, tossing the spear to Cid, "you never know where the Heartless might be."

"What? You pinhead, ain'tchu comin' with us?" Cid asked.

"No," I answered, "This is probably my fault in some way, I won't bring that burden to another world. Now go on, hurry." Almost as if to confirm my warning, soldiers burst through the courtyard gate, bracing it, locking it.

"Sir," one of them yelled to Squall, "we can't hold them off. Hurry and leave, sir. Don't worry, we want it this way Squall."

"That's Leon," Squall muttered to himself, and went inside the gummi ship. Cid jumped in the pilot's seat, and started the ignition. The ship blasted off, shooting its way through flying Heartless, managing to slip by.

The gate was battered. It bulged out, like a water tub bursting at the seams. My head was spinning wildly. These artificial Heartless that I had helped to create were now going to kill me. I saw a face breach the gates, a smiling, toothy grin. A shield. _Defenders_. I had molded these particular Heartless in my image, not physically, but combat-wise. They would be able to block anything with their shields. Not only that, they could be used as weapons. I had played around with swords in my youth. I was never good at attacking, but I used to be able to block anything coming at me, I hoped I still had those same abilities.

This time the shield broke all the way through. Heartless we had identified as "Ancients" came through the hole, flying with their broadswords slashing away. The land Heartless would probably be coming anytime now.

"Ready Hojo?" I yelled over to the access panel.

He nodded and looked over at me, "Yes, I'm throwing it now."

I looked out to the soldiers battling the Ancients, "Fire in the hole!" Hojo flipped the switch, and the Lift-Stop power stations overloaded all at once. The electricity pulsed around the air. Most of our guys had gotten down fast enough, a few poor souls, civilians mostly, got caught in the cross-fire and were electrecuted to death. To this day I try to block out those screams. It sounds too horrible to be a good way to die, especially in the arcane way it was done. But none of the Heartless escaped that fate. I heard the unholy cries as Heartless after Heartless was killed by our trick. As long as the switch was active, and as long as the Lift Stop had juice left in her, this field would stay.

Except for the one thing we had overlooked, there was a rare Heartless we didn't know about. It looked like an angel. An unholy angel. Two or three came in, and started absorbing the electricity. All of the power spiked, waned, and dissipated. Our trap was gone. I saw one of the soldiers, a man with a gun-arm, stand up and began shooting at the angel-Heartless, "Damnit, you can all jes' eat it!" But he didn't last long until a Soldier Heartless took him from behind. I saw the look of horror on gun-arm's face when his heart was forcibly withdrawn, and devoured by the Soldier. Then I saw his body shift and change, and he turned into a Shadow Heartless.

Those of us who were left heard the order, "Fall back to the chapel!" We exited through the back door, running to save our lives, I blocked an attack from a Magician, the fire glowing bright purple before it went out, mixing with the saphire shield. _Not bad,_ I thought, worth keeping, if we managed to find a miracle way off this rock. We barred the doors with whatever we could find, which consisted of a couple of chairs. To our horror, it didn't do squat.

The door started to meld with black, with darkness itself. The Shadows simply merged with the door, and walked right into the room. Their first rank fell on the first row of defenders, their claws slicing into their chests to get at the hearts that lay within.

_Damnit...what's it all for?_ I screamed inside my own mind. I couldn't understand it, why were we made to suffer? Why was this death surrounding me? Suddenly my ears started ringing, I grabbed my head, and kneeled down in the pain. I screamed, I think. It was too blurry, I still can't recall what exactly happened, but I do remember being swallowed up...darkness...everywhere. It was overwhelming, and all I could feel was the fall, the fall to darkness.


	7. 7

**7**

**Zexion**

"Hey Zex, you mind not burning the chow? I can smell the charcoal from here!" Lexaeus practically shouted at me, trying to get my attention. I didn't blame him, I was easily distracted these days. It was almost a month now since the night of the meteor shower. I still thought about it. Not so much the event, but what caused it, the odds of us being alone were immeasurable now. There was something more out there. I wanted to find it, but I couldn't on my own. Still, I tried to figure out a way.

Though all my day-dreaming was getting in the way of my daily activities, and at the moment, it was cooking.

"Eh, it would've tasted like crap anyway," I said.

"Of the choice between your bad cooking and your burnt cooking, I think I'd prefer the one that tastes like something," Lexaeus said. He was kind of getting used to this phasing in and out of the real world I was doing, but Lex was a realist, I knew if he wasn't a childhood friend he wouldn't tolerate this, but for me he made exceptions to nearly all his rules as to how the world should work. All, that is, except for food. "Come on Zex, you've been like this for weeks, are you still on that shower?"

"Yea..." I said, trailing off. It was kinda embarassing I guess, I mean, I didn't really know what my mind was thinking these days. "I don't know Lex, I'm just so...I don't know."

"Just, get outta here, I'll handle the cooking OK? Just...take a walk for a bit." Lexaeus pushed me away from the stove and in the direction of the door. I sighed and dragged myself outside. We lived in the third district, on the upper level. We shared a small house, until we got our careers up and running. I went down to the lower level, just a walk around the block to get the head cleared up. But I certainly wasn't accomplishing my aim, I was still fixated on the same things.

Then, after brooding over these questions for so long, I think I might have gotten my answer. From the ground, a small black..._thing_ appeared. It was totally black, except for two small yellow eyes. It had two little antenna on top of its head, it was maybe two or three feet tall, but it seemed to not care whether it was on two legs or all fours. It was the size of a small dog, or a large cat maybe. It glanced around, like it was trying to figure out where it was. I circled the thing cautiously, I didn't want to scare it, or agitate it if I could avoid it. But the thing caught a glimpse of me, and without missing a beat, leaped at me. I tried to defend myself with my arm, hoping to block it away, or at least not lose any vitals in the process. I felt tears well up in my eyes as the thing dug its claws into my arms, and..._spread_ up my arm. I don't know if it was out of fear, exertion, or what, but I screamed at the thing, "Haahhhh!" I remember seeing a flash of green, and suddenly the creature came out, though it looked unwilling, and flew against the wall I was facing, propelled by some kind of purple/pink light. _Same color as the meteors... _I thought. It hit the wall, and disappeared in a mass of black oozing bubbles.

_What the...How did I _do_ that? _I figured to leave well enough alone, and keep this to myself until I could at least explain it to Lexaeus. I went over to where the thing had vaporized, and looked for any mark of scorching, or anything for that matter, but there was nothing on the wall. I took a glance around, no one here. No eyewitnesses either, _Definitely better keep quiet for now._


	8. 8

**8**

**-unknown-**

_"And the Heartless sent to that town?"_

_"I have lost track of it."_

_"Lost it? Or was it destroyed?"_

_"Destroyed, by some defender of that world no doubt. I think I'll..."_

"Ah!" I blurted out, awakening from my sleep in a fright. Such wierd dreams. No pictures, merely words. It was odd. While I didn't quite know that much about myself, I did know I had amnesia, and I did know dreams usually consist of pictures.

Well to say I didn't know much about myself was a lie. I knew that I possessed a multitude of memories, I just couldn't recall all of them off the bat. The memories weren't complete, really, I could only see them in a set speed and detail. My memories of the time since I had been created, those I could play back in my mind as fast or slow as I needed. I could skip parts, go straight to others, slow it down, or speed the actions in my mind up. These other memories, they didn't exactly flow so easily. I watched them all in set portions, at set speeds. And there were so many holes, I didn't know what was the chronological order.

"Oh, you're awake already," said a gentle voice to my left. I glanced over so I wouldn't seem rude speaking out of my blind side.

"Yes, bad dreams."

"Well if you'd like some breakfast I got a few things set out, OK?" she said.

"Yes, thank you," I said. Ms. Lalia had taken me in that first night. I was looking for shelter, and she had offered her home. She had even provided me with a robe and some red bandages to cover my head, most especially my eye with. I had some scarring along that side of my body, so I figured the full robe was useful in that way too. Ms. Lalia's gesture was especially kind, as she had a newborn child, only a few months old, I can only imagine the difficulty that motherhood was on one's nerves, especially the first time. While I didn't want to burden her for too long, this appeared to be a rough side of town, and at the same time I felt like I should protect this small family.

I went into the kitchen and sat down, grabbing a few eggs, and a glass of juice. "Any progress on your memory?" Ms. Lalia asked me. "I know you're getting closer."

"Some progress," I answered, "but not much. Everything is still confusing."

"Well, have you figured out your name? I can't keep calling you 'You'," she kept on.

"No, but I wouldn't be much concerned about it, a name is a name," I said rather off-the-cuff, though I'd had the same response the past few times she had asked me. I looked over to the high-chair her child Jora was sitting in. He looked back at me inquisitively, almost as if trying to figure out what I was. I didn't exactly know how I might have looked to him. To a fully conscious toddler, I probably would've been a monster, but an infant doesn't have such limitations.

Ms. Lalia came over and picked him up, "What do you think Jora? Does our guest have a good name somewhere inside?" She brought him over to where I was sitting.

I finished up my meal, "Well thank you for the food Ms. Lalia, you are always too kind."

She just smiled at me and shook her head in that false aggravated tone, "Just call me Lalia, I keep telling you that...you"

Jora reached his little hand up and pointed at me, I don't actually think he knew, but that was the gesture he was imitating, "Fafu...dissz," and he finished off with that little infant-raspberry that is so common.

I looked back in his innocent little eyes, "DiZ..." I smiled a bit and looked back at Ms. Lalia, "It's as good a name as any."


	9. 9

**9**

**Axel**

_I have come to see the door to this world..._ The stranger's words echoed in my mind. Ever since the invasion, I've started less and less to believe he was crazy, and that he was for real. I also believed he was in some way responsible for this invasion of my world. I was having a hard time keeping up, but there was never any good news. As for myself, I was trying to fight the invaders as best I could, hoping to score a small victory, any victory, our people needed hope. Yet all my efforts were futile.

There were two theories as to what was going on with them, either it was simple, and there were thousands of these guys, or millions, and we couldn't kill them all. Or, they could regenerate, but as a survivor of those battles, I was pretty sure they could be killed.

We had held our line, but almost every front in this world was being beaten back. And these things were like vampires, if they devoured someone's heart, that person turned into one of them, it was creepy. I've undoubtedly killed comrades because of this, but who it's been I have no idea, I'm thankful for that in a way.

"Axel!" someone shouted, I turned around just in time to see a shuriken slice by me and through a thing that had taken me by surprise. It was Cali, a woman I'd known for some time, since we were kids. It's funny, all these years I've known her, I always saw a possibility for something more, and here I am, fighting invaders with her, odds of us getting together, very slim to say the least. "Are you OK?" she asked me, concern in her voice.

"I'm alright, I always am, aren't I?" I responded. I hated people feeling anything that resembled concern or sympathy for me. I've always been independent that way, most people say it hinders me, I think it's a virtue. I spotted a shadow over my right and flung my wheel, catching it on the return, after it sliced open into the thing, tearing it into those odd bubbles. "I think they're leaving again."

Cali wiped her forehead, "Good, don't know how much longer I can take this though," she said dryly, "I'm fed up with these stupid shadows."

"Axel," a stern voice called out from over on the other side of our fortification, "it looks like we have eight more taken today," he saluted. A bunch of us had decided we were now a militia, by neccessity than choice, but a militia all the same, I had been elected leader, and got casualty reports after every skirmish. I figured I should humor them, I suppose none of us would make a better captain than the others, but it was everyone's choice.

"Well, I'm gonna rest up," I told everyone, "wake me up for the second shift, alright?"

"Yes," Cali assured me, then with a litle laugh, "sir."

I walked to my sleeping area, a little tent I took everywhere with me, a mercenary has things like these. Although mercenary is an improper word, mercenaries usually fight people, I was more of a hired exterminator. But our people hadn't fought each other for a long time, and a war mercenary was a long lost relic of an old age. As I entered my tent on the fringe of the camp, I heard someone hum bemusedly at me.

"Who is it?" I asked, irritated anyone found this funny. I was greeted by a familiar person.

"So the darkness hasn't taken you yet? You are even more impressive than before, your heart is strong, no doubt," the brown cloaked stranger informed me.

"You again..." I said, I probably couldn't have hidden the malice in my voice had I tried, but this punk didn't deserve it.

"Yes...me," he said, too calm considering the war zone. "You know, your world is about to fall. It will disappear soon now, we are close to it." he said, emphasizing that last phrase as if I should feel excited by his proposition.

"Close to what?" I asked, this guy was definitely involved in the invasion, maybe I could squeeze a couple facts from him if I played into his ego.

"The key to the darkness, the keyhole to unlock this world's power," he answered. I could tell he was pleased by this. I had a knack for reading emotions, even if I couldn't see this guy's face. "And as the strongest heart on this world, I want you to know something before your world dies, something that will affect the course of the entire universe."

"I won't let that happen, bub, this world's going nowhere," I said, I grabbed my wheels in case this guy wanted a fight, and to intimidate his frail figure, he'd better not pull anything.

As if he didn't hear me, he raised his arms to the skies and looked up at the heavens. Maybe he was being melodramatic, but I have to admit, in the fading twilight, it was very effective.

"It...Has...Begun..."


	10. 10

**10**

**Marluxia**

She was still out cold. I had taken her in when I found her. She had arrived on the night of the meteor shower. I have no clue why, but I felt the two events were related, rather than being coincidence. I was no doctor, but I was determined to take care of her. The medical profession wasn't too popular out here in the relative wilderness, my town only had a handful of people. Our local medical expert was no doctor, but a nurse, but she said the girl at this point had little to no chance of recovery. It had been maybe two months now, and she was still in a coma it seemed. She could drink, we gave her water, fed her soup. I could see her eyes moving beneath the eyelids, but she couldn't open her eyes, or speak to me. She was young, maybe five years old. I had lost my sister to a serious pnemonia when she was nine, maybe that was why I wanted to save this girl's life.

And as I had for almost two months, I sat by her bedside, talking to her. Nothing in particular, just stuff. I wanted her to know she wasn't alone.

"You know kid, I'm not too sure why you're here, but it must be for a reason," I told her. "You came with the meteor shower, remember? That means you're heavenly, you'll probably grow up to be a beautiful woman, and change the world, like cure all disease, or help people forget their pains, or make children everywhere smile." I brushed her blonde hair behind her ear, "I'm not sure what, but something great awaits you."

I looked out the window, saw the outside world I hadn't visited in so long. "Do you want to know what's happening outside?" I asked, and took her silence as a yes, "The birds are sitting on the branches, singing to each other. Leaves are falling, it's autumn now. The sun's in the sky, and the stars will be out soon. Everything here has a name..." I trailed off. "Except you," I whispered to myself. I had heard that saying someone's name repeatedly to them while they were in a coma like this helped more than any medicine could. I didn't know that though, I didn't even know if she had, say, a hobby. I wish I knew something about her, maybe I could make her more comfortable, surround her with familiar things. But I had no such information. I looked over to my back door. My gear was all sitting there. I was a farmer by trade. I harvested grain, with the sickle and the scythe, I plowed fields, planted seeds, except for now. Except for this girl, my life would be as it always had been, simple, fulfilling.

I sat there and talked with her for a few more hours. Well into the night, I decided I was tired and turned out the light behind me, "Night kid, sleep well."


	11. 11

**11**

**Zexion**

Another day, another boring, simple, uneventful day. I kicked a couple rocks on the side of the street. Lexaues was sick, and hadn't gone into work today, so I didn't even have him to talk to. My thoughts were as cloudy as ever, except now it was over that black thing that showed up in the thrid district. I had also heard some strange people had shown up out of nowhere and were staying at the hotel, no one knew where they came from. But that was all the way in the second district, it's not like I could use the excuse of good neighbor to meet them, and I didn't want to freak them out just going up and introducing myself. As far as that was concerned, I'd just bide my time until the opportunity showed itself. But that wasn't nearly as consuming as the incident a few weeks ago.

I was on my way home from some shops in the first district, picking up a few things, medicine and what not for Lexaeus. I had come through the third district gate and was just passing through the plaza when a voice caught my attention. "So you are the one who can destroy the Heartless."

I turned around and saw a woman standing there. I got a chill, she was creepy. I know I'd like to think myself above such things, but her look alone seriously creeped me _out_. Not only that, it had a strange air suddenly, I figured caused by her, I could swear she smelled...not bad, just...different. Though that was probably my imagination. Her skin was pale, and she had two horns on her head, I tried to look as close as I could without being rude, but I could've sworn they were growing out of head. Her black and purple robe was like camoflague in the dimly lit third district.

"A what?" I asked, I hadn't the slightest clue what she was talking about.

"The Heartless. Those without Hearts. They seek out the darkness, and those with very strong hearts," she smiled coldly at me, "and I sense that you have both."

"You must be mistaken," I said, waving her off, "I don't have darkness inside me."

"That's not true, all hearts do," she said, insisting I listen. I didn't really care, and started to walk away. "And I also sense that you want a way off this world."

That caught my attention, "What about?" I asked her.

She smiled at me. A dark, twisted smile, it was like she was a spider and I was her fly. I didn't care though, if she could give me my answers, I'd put up with anything. "Yes, I know about that. I can help you. All you must do, is trust the darkness."

"Sorry lady, I can't trust darkness as easily as you can," I answered. It pained me to do it, but contrary to what I might have wanted to believe, maybe there was too high a price.

"I understand, you need more time. Intelligent, such decisions must not be made lightly. Very well, I will return for you soon."

I went up and walked the stairs to the upper level, I looked down into the plaza, and saw her there, still watching me. _Man she's creepy._ Suddenly, something seemed to catch her attention in the alleyway.

"You!" I heard someone shout, and saw a brown-haired boy run out and move to strike her. She disappeared in some kind of dark light. The boy, he didn't look to be more than 18 yet, lowered his weapon, some kind of sword with a gun set into the hilt. He looked around, and giving up, went through the gate to the first district.


	12. 12

**12**

**DiZ**

Another sunny afternoon. Comfortable, even for someone like me. I must admit, fashion probably wasn't my thing, I had my white and blue robe on, the red bandage mask, and a red cape on, in public nonetheless I was attracting a few gazes no doubt. The only encouragement I'd recieved was that the red bandage matched well with the orange eyes. I was still trying to figure out what to tell Ms. Lalia.

I had learned a few things about my past. I was once someone known as "Ansem", a great leader among the people, revered, venerated for his virtues. Seemed too perfect for me, funny the way the universe works, no? I basically saw myself as two different people. And the more I could summon from within the waiting room of my memories, the more I became convinced I was actually right about that.

Ansem had been studying creatures called "Heartless", those without hearts. He had created Heartless by destroying the hearts of his own people, and synthetic heartless with some kind of machine. He had also used the materials known as "gummis" to build a ship to leave his world, and perhaps learn about Heartless on other worlds. And this thing that a king had called a "key", something connected with the Heartless. I was in the process of unraveling the memories that were still after that time. Was a dead form of this Ansem? Had he been killed in some kind of accident? Or by the Heartless? Too many specualtions, each with a hundred different theories and a hundred pieces of evidence for each.

But my most frightening piece of evidence as it were, was Ansem's shift in goals. He hadn't seen it at the time, but when he started, he studied the Heartless and the darkness for the light, prevent them from causing a disaster on his world, to save his people. But in the recent, closer memories, the ones I had just unlocked, Ansem seemed to be equally fascinated by the darkness within the Heartless. I wondered what more unravelling would reveal, and whether or not I should share the results with Ms. Lalia.

But I also accquired Ansem's understanding of the light and darkness. Personally, I had to say to myself, _why choose?_ Both were redeemible in my eyes. The light gave you inner power, kept you independent, the light was what truly seperated you from the Heartless. But the darkness was just as interesting. It was a source of power for the body. It required discipline to wield, that was true, but if you could unlock its power and not be consumed by it, I theorized you would probably be the most powerful being in the world. Maybe Ansem had arrived at the same conclusion, maybe that was why he had taken a sudden interest in the darkness. I didn't really know, I couldn't read the thoughts of the memories, only the actions, like watching a movie screen.

This new concept of the light and darkness I hadn't had before intrigued me, so I spent some time these days at the local social areas, trying to find those with...similar philisophical views on the subject. I had met two people that did, we spent a deal of time talking about it. Our little clique had a general consensus: neither the darkness nor the light could claim ultimate superiority. True, they had dominant places in certain situations, but never has one seen the same situation twice.

Oddly enough I no longer felt as protective a need to watch over Ms. Lalia and Jora these days. I had seen the strength that became Ms. Lalia, and knew she could fend for herself. Though still, I had found a small place in which I could now live out my days in peace and study, I still checked in every now and then on her. And she, in her ever-lasting concern, still interrogated me at times about my memory. Some of these latest developments I hadn't shared, but she did know I was once an "Ansem", but she said there was no such being she knew of. Our joint conclusion was that, perhaps, in some miracle, I was of another world. I asked around, seeing if other towspeople had heard of an "Ansem", but no one did. My friends and I had spent some time on this, but our usual debates of the light and dark were so much more interesting, I wanted to stay focused on those.

It was only that night, as I was resting my eyes, trying to get to sleep, that I found myself untangling memories once again. And I ran across one that almost frightened me.

Ansem had offered his heart to the Heartless, to become pure darkness.

And tracing back to another memory, Ansem had written, when one does such a thing, the body must be cast aside.

I was Ansem's shell.


	13. 13

**13**

**Axel**

"Cali!" I shouted, awakening from a stupor I was certain hadn't been voluntary. My head hurt like hell, I put my hand to my face, trying to remember what happened.

_The invaders..._That's right...they had attacked, we beat them, again, barely. We were celebrating a bit, not much, just some toasting around the circle so to speak. Then...cracks...the world...broke. It almost dissolved. I saw Cali sucked into some kind of...portal I think. I grabbed her hand, but she got pulled away anyway. Then...a bright flash...nothing.

_Now I'm here,_ I said looking around. _What is this place? _ I saw buildings, houses, lots and lots of them. Over the tops I saw a big clock tower of some kind. Odd, very odd indeed. I didn't know a place this big existed.

I wandered around the streets, drawing some gazes, everyone else here looked neat and trim compared to me, I had just spent a month fighting the invaders. _Come to think of it, why aren't these people doing the same?_ I walked down a main street it appeared. It was open, and I saw a huge building at the head of the whole thing. There were about six or seven video screens at the top. I looked up to the top one. It said something I knew couldn't be true. Though maybe it was, maybe that brown guy was right on the money about there being other worlds...

"Welcome to Twilight Town."


	14. 14

**14**

**Vexen**

This Twilight Town place was strange. I didn't mind, I suppose it was better than dying on my old world. I had tried to get used to this place. From what I could gather, I was transported to this place when the world fell to the Heartless. It was...odd. I couldn't think of a logical reason why. Ansem had theories about the darkness and the light. He said if one's heart was sufficiently powerful enough for even an instant, they could tap into the darkness or the light, whichever one was their talent. I knew he wanted to run scientific experiments to try and prove it, but I hadn't heard anything about results. Without the proof, my mind wasn't ready to accept something that outrageous.

Until I saw something.

He was walking down the street at the time. It wasn't hard to miss him, he was wearing this bright red bandage on his head, maybe he had surgery recently. It was a blue and white robe, but that wasn't what attracted me to his appearance. It was the face. One eye was covered, but one wasn't. And that eye spoke infinite words about the potential of my possibilities, how maybe I was so wrong. His eye was orange.

I knew only one man who had orange eyes.

Ansem.

I thought maybe it was him, but he passed by without a second glance. Surely he'd recognize me, I was a close assosiate, me and Hojo were his top two researchers. But when he walked by, it was difficult to understand. I decided to follow him, not wanting to make assumptions until I was sure. He went to one of the small, lower class establishments, kind of like the place I was staying. I decided discretion was best, better not peer into a window or anything. I wasn't the spying type anyway, I prefer the more direct approaches to situations. I knocked on the door.

Surprisingly, a woman answered the door. "Yes...?" she asked, unsure of me.

"Um, excuse me," I said, somewhat unsure of the situation myself. _That couldn't have been a ghost or something. _"Did I see a man with a red cape enter here?"

"Yes," she said, seeming to ease a bit, "DiZ, do you know this man?"

The red coat stranger came to the door, "No..." he said, almost as if he were trying to remember, but kept drawing blanks. But by the deep voice, I knew now, I was right on the money.

"I think you do," I said, a bit relieved I had found the sage, "Ansem."

That seemed to spark his interest. "How do you know that name?" he said.

"Then you are he," I said, I suppose he was trying to hide himself. But that wouldn't explain his reaction to his name but not to me... Perhaps amnesia? "Do you remember me?"

Ansem turned to the woman, still at the door, and looking a bit bewildered at the conversation in what seemed to be her house, "Ms. Lalia, I don't mean to intrude, but may we speak in your home?"

She nodded and gestured towards the table where Ansem and she had been sitting I guess, "By all means, if this man can tell us about you, then please come in, I'll pour the tea."

"So it _is_ amnesia," I offered sitting down.

"Yes," said Ansem, "I appeared on this world, maybe two months ago, and I've been piecing together these...fragmented...memories, I think I may understand what I am now."

"Then you _are_ Ansem, our leader," I said. I didn't quite know how to break the news to him about the Heartless overrunning the world.

"Well," he said, almost trying to correct me, while agreeing at the same time, "I am Ansem, and I am not. Have you heard of the Heartless?"

"Yes," I said grimly, "they overran our world. I escaped, somehow, but most of our people were lost. I used to work with you...with Ansem...on his Heartless experiements." I concluded. That basically brought him up to speed, I think.

"I see," said Ansem...or, what was it that woman called him...DiZ. "Do you know what happened to Ansem?" he asked. I was taken aback. Though, it should figure that he would know and not me, was it a direct question, or did he want to tell me? I shook my head no. "Ansem..." he began, and then paused, like he was searching for words. I became concerned, something bad happened to him? We had figured that out before hand. He continued, "Ansem gave his heart to the darkness. He sacrificed it so that he could become pure darkness. I am the body that was cast aside. And though I have no proof, if Ansem succumbed to the darkness, he may have been the one who drew the Heartless to your world."

This wasn't quite what I was expecting. "Well..." I said, not quite sure _what _I should say, "that would fit with what we know about the Heartless. They are drawn to darkness. If there was a heart, _any_ heart, that was totally darkness, I would think all Heartless everywhere would be attracted to it."

"I believe you misunderstand," DiZ said, "I believe Ansem _summoned_ the Heartless."

That, I would not accept, I was determined to believe Ansem died _defending_ our world, not destroying it. "Are you sure about that?" I asked him.

"No," he admitted, "but it would be my guess."

I tried to fight the urge to believe him. I had noticed Ansem's fascination with the darkness, but I didn't think he would be that rash. But...something felt...right...about DiZ's proposal. Maybe Ansem really did...

"Well, I won't jump to conclusions until I know," I said, "I spent many months studying the light and darkness, I'm not sure Ansem would have given himself willingly."

"If that's true," DiZ said, "then perhaps you should like to join me, and two comrades, at my home. We have many discussions along this line, your insight may open whole new doors."

The first thing you must understand about me, is that I'm a scientist. Even when my feelings tell me otherwise, the need for science and fact and conclusion overrides everything else in my persona. "I'd enjoy that very much," I told him.

DiZ looked over to his friend, "I am sorry Ms. Lalia, I do not mean to exclude you," he said in his apologetic tone. It was strange, I knew this man, and yet, I had never met him before.

"Not it's alright, I'm just wondering when you found out your name," she said.

"About 2 weeks ago," Ans...DiZ responded. "Though I much prefer my current name. I am not Ansem anyway, I am the least important part of him, I shouldn't like to use his name."

"Oh, well that explains it," Lalia said. Suddenly I heard a baby crying from the back room.

DiZ stood up, "Jora is awake, I believe we should be going."

I followed his lead, "Yes, quite."

Lalia seemed to know we were right, but didn't seem to want to stop talking. Though her maternal instinct beat out her curiosity in about half a second, "Alright, but do be sure to visit again, won't you DiZ? Jora will want to see his uncle sooner or later."

"Kind to the last," DiZ said smiling, and we took our leave of Lalia's home.


	15. 15

**15**

**Lexaeus**

Zexion and I were headed home from the cafe. I hoped he was back to normal, he had tried to hook me up with the waitress again for the first time in weeks. I thought everything was getting settled with him again, every now and then he wandered off in his own thoughts, but one can't expect a reversal overnight, although that was how fast it took him to change in the first place.

"Lex, you never listen to me, you have the bod' of iron, make use of it! Chicks dig the iron body."

I raised an eyebrow at him from the corner of my eye, "And you are such the expert in this area?"

"Well, how else do you explain I haven't had a girl in so long? I mean c'mon, look at me, cute, funny, brilliant, the only thing I'm missing is twenty-inch biceps," he retorted me playfully.

_I guess he _is_ back to normal._

"Have you made up your mind?" I turned around. There was a woman standing there. She looked pale, old somehow, she carried some kind of scepter with a green gem set into the top. And I could swear she had horns growing out of her forehead. Her robe was black and purple. She was smiling, but I saw it as anything _but_ friendly.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked. I normally try and treat strangers kindly, but this woman...something really pissed me off.

She continued to ignore me, "Well? You must have come to a decision by now," she said. It was here I figured she was talking to Zexion. I looked over and his fun personality had left him. He was the day dreamer again.

"I told you before, I don't want darkness in my heart," he said. I had definitely missed something.

"Ah, but you already have it within," argued the woman, "all you need now is to learn how to use it."

Zexion was getting angry, that usually didn't happen with him. His eyes narrowed on the old woman, "I told you I don't want it!"

This didn't discourage her in the least, "And who are you trying to convince? Me? Or you?"

That was it, she had hit a fuse. Zex was gonna lose it soon. I decided to try my question again, "Hey, don't ignore me, I asked you what your name was."

Finally, she looked at me and smiled coldly, "I am the one, the one who can help your dear friend. But you may call me Maleficient."

Zexion wasn't losing his steam. I never really saw him upset like this. It kinda scared me. He stepped forward, almost menacingly, "I told you, I don't need your darkness, I'll find other worlds on my own. Now leave me."

The old woman looked back at him, her smile widened, that only made me more uncomfortable, "But you haven't even tried it. Silly boy, how can you reject what you do not yet understand? Here," she waved her hand in front of him. Zexion's entire body suddenly covered with a slime-green glow.

"What are you..." he began, staring at his hands, his entire body, as if he'd never see it again.

"All I have done is temper your heart," she answered as the glow began to die down. "Now you can tap into your darkness at will. The more you use it, the stronger it will become. But a word of advice: don't steep yourself in it, or the Heartless will consume you. Consider it a gift" And without saying anything else, she vanished into this blackish-blue vortex.

Zex collapsed onto his knees beside me. I kneeled down and grabbed his shoulders, "Zex, you alright?"

His reply was faint, far away, but very present and understanding, "Yes, I'm fine."

But somehow, I didn't really believe he was. I figured to wait for the morning, let him suck it all in. When he did, I'd ask him about it, this darkness and Heartless and whatever-ness was going on.


	16. 16

**16**

**Marluxia**

I was washing the dishes when I heard it. A yawn. A single, simple yawn. I knew. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I knew.

I came into the spare bedroom, and there she was, awake. She looked around, and saw me, and smiled innocently at me and just said, "Hello!"

"You're...awake," I said, disbelieving it. It was what, over two months? I had actually begun to think she was never gonna wake up, and certainly not recover in an instant.

"Yup," she said, "I'm all fixed now." That was it. She didn't ask where she was, it was like she expected to wake up here. Like she knew what was going on. No question about where her mommy was, what happened to her siblings, if she had any, nothing.

I couldn't force down a smile, "Well, yes, you were very sick. So you're better now."

"No," she said, giggling and shaking her head, her blonde hair waving with each shake, "I mean I'm fixed, all my memory is fine now. I kind of hurt myself, so I had to fix it, it took a long time that was all."

Oh, so it was just an accident, "Oh so did you fall down?"

"No, I think I was just confused. And the meteors, they confused me too. But all the chains are fixed now, I'm better," she said again with a smile.

I was about to ask what she meant when I shook my head. I was always told, never try and understand the logic of small children, you'll only end up with a hurt brain. "Well what's your name little girl?" I asked finally, better off than anything else I could ask a five year old girl.

"Namine."


	17. 17

**17**

**Writer's Note:**

Before someone complains, I realize Maleficient would likely have found Aurora first, but I have to say I have not seen one second of Sleeping Beauty, so I would be hard pressed to describe anything from it an outside observer could describe. I am really not a Disney fan, especially not of the classics. I could only make it seem believable this way, and _that's _not even that good as is.

**DiZ**

Yesterday was strange, this Vexen had arrived on this world, just like I did. Today I invited him and my two assosiates over for an introduction. However, I had been so excited the night before, I had barely slept. Now I was paying for it by sleeping in the afternoon.

_"They are called 'The Princesses of Heart', seven maidens, each possessing a powerful heart. I have solved part of the problem with an experiment. I altered a young girl you see, and sent her off, her and her shadow. We can locate her easily. However we must wait and see, she will need to age before her heart can mature and be of use to us."_

_"Very well, we can focus on finding six others, in fact, I believe one may be on..."_

My eyes snapped open. These dreams came less frequently. I think I knew what they were too. I don't think Ansem has totally severed his connection with me. I was basically observing his current actions like I was still there. As he grew accustomed to his new state, I recieved less and less from him, and being least independent while sleeping, Ansem's bind on my body was stronger at those times. But as his control and comfort with his new body-less state, he no longer needed me, and was letting me go.

There was a knock on my door. It was Vexen and my other assosiates, they had met up outside, introductions had been made, and they said we could get straight to business.

Vexen began by telling us about who Ansem was, who I had been. And if his darkness had won him over, how he used to be as well. He spoke of the first tests on Heartless. On his study area, the light and darkness balance. He said there was none. From what he could decipher, only darkness remained in the Heartless. He also told us of Ansem's synthetic Heartless, how they were stronger, faster, better. He also told us while the synthetic Heartless were all darkness, they did not possess as much as a natural Heartless. Only the ones he called 'Shadows', 'Ancients' and 'Darksides' were natural, only they could survive in the "heart of all worlds", whatever that was, Vexen admitted even he didn't know, only that Ansem had mentioned it once or twice.

"Well," said Vexen, "if you truly are a part of Ansem, does that mean he used the darkness as a source of power?"

"Yes," I answered, "I don't know how he did it, but that was how he was able to seperate himself from me."

"But how do we do it?" said an assosiate of mine.

"Good question," said Vexen. He looked to me, "Do you think those memories you have of Ansem might show you the way?"

"I'm not sure..." I said, putting my hand to my chin, "but I will scour them all, for any sign of it."

We spent a good hour or two discussing the differences between light and dark with Vexen. His knowledge was truly admirable. And why not, he had spent the better part of a year studying those differences. I found my brain quite full at the end of the night.

That night, I decided to search those memories as I had promised. I found it, to my surprise, sort of. Ansem had unlocked his talents by desire. One thing, something, that one's heart desired the most. The need had to be great, strong, or it would not work. If one opened their heart to light, or darkness, whatever the case may be, it could be used to achieve that goal. Ansem had not realized it, but in his search to understand the darkness, he had done this, by "asking" the darkness to help him discover it. When that happened, he unlocked his latent powers for darkness. At the time, Ansem was still a sage of light, and his talents for darkness were few, and poor. I skipped ahead a few months, and saw that his darkness had grown the entire time, under his very nose, but he did not realize it.

The progression may have been too slow, or, more frightening, Ansem had chosen to ignore it. I couldn't tell exactly, such as it was with these "pre-memories" as I had named them, sometimes they offered great insight, sometimes a casual observation. Either way, he continued to expand the dark parts of his heart, which lied to him. He thought the darkness was still blurred by a fine line, that one could not entirely see it. So he made his decision to become darkness, rather than look from afar.

At this moment I too had a desire. A desire to understand, much like Ansem. However I was not willing to sacrifice my soul for it, for I lacked a heart, the soul seemed to me the enxt logical item darkness would take. At the same token, I did not want to give my soul to the light either, that could alienate me from the darkness, I did not want that. I wanted the understanding, and the powers of both light and darkness.

After all, my heart was gone, the darkness and light couldn't take me that way, not like Ansem. _Heh_, I mused to myself, _I can see where Ansem went wrong, and here I am, almost all too willing to make those same mistakes. We are not such different people after all._

Although I think, this desire was greater. I wanted to be different. I wanted to be myself. Not Ansem, not Ansem's shadow, but DiZ. This, more than my understanding, was what I feel I desired more. I closed my eyes, as if I could glance within myself. _Not Ansem_, I thought, _I am DiZ, I am me. _I felt strange, a funny feeling flowed through me. I opened my eyes, though true, my right eye gave me the only sight I had.

I was somewhere else. On a world that I did not recognize. A great castle stood on the horizon, and it's soldiers were pouring out. I saw a young girl, she was in rags, with a pumpkin, and a few animals. I also saw Heartless. They were swarming yet another world. To destroy it most likely. Soldiers battled the Heartless, but to no avail, most of them fell under the tide of them, and became Shadows themselves. The Heartless ran right past me, I didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted. _Oh, right, Vexen said they were drawn to darkness in the heart._ No heart meant the Heartless probably couldn't even see me, at least not as a living being, let alone a threat. They cornered the girl with the pumpkin, and stopped. Two beings materialized from the darkness. Portals for travel of some kind. One was an old woman, the other wore a brown robe. Servants of darkness, I could see it right away. But the brown robed being...intrigued me.

"Well, is she one of them?" the old woman asked.

"Yes Maleficient, good work. We have found a Princess. I didn't think we would find one so quickly." The voice..._my_ voice...Ansem. So it was true, he was a being of darkness. I had found proof for Vexen, though I admit I was worried how he would handle it.

If Ansem saw me I realized I could be in grave danger. I focused my thoughts, trying to get myself back to my home. I felt the same feeling, less intense this time though. I opened my eyes, and I was back where I belonged. I should ask the others to come again quickly, they would need to know about this. So I turned in, and went to sleep.

_"What about that boy you said might yield to darkness?"_


	18. 18

**18**

**Writer's Note:** For anyone concerned that all this jumping around was going nowhere, well you finally get your wish. Storylines are begining to mingle, and I don't want to give too much away, but the formation isn't too far off yet. This is probably the last 'battle' for a good long while so if you enjoy the mayhem of combat take it all in, there'll only be minor skirmishes for a good next third of the story, and Marluxia and Larxene get their days too.

**Zexion**

Almost three weeks had passed since Maleficient came to me for the second time. Lexaeus and I were sitting on some benches in the second district. There were a few other people around, talking, laughing. A pair of guys were talking in low voices, like they were trying to keep something from the rest of the world. One had blonde hair, and had some goggles on his forehead. The other was younger, with brown hair. He had a scar across one eye. He looked somewhat familiar, like I'd seen him once before, but I couldn't quite place him.

Lexaeus and I were discussing that old woman, by the way. He was wondering what her deal was. We had both rattled our brains over it, but didn't figure it out. I didn't try to access that darkness she gave me, I was worried there would be strings attached. Lex had brought up a good point right from the start: what did she have to gain from helping me? We thought about it, but from our perspective, there wasn't anything she could gain. We needed more information, otherwise we'd be stuck where we were. But something happened whether I wanted it to or not; people...smelled different. Tasted different even. Not food, or oil, or anything like that, just people. It wasn't a bad smell, nor was it a good one, it was just...different. I had no idea what I was smelling. Some seemed identical, some unique, it was odd, I could only assume it had to do with that darkness Maleficient "tempered", as she had put it.

A bonus for me, I guess, was that Lexaeus was now thinking about other worlds too. He had figured out Maleficient wasn't of this world, like I had, but where she came from, how she did it, and pretty much everything else was a mystery. Oh, I mentioned good for me right? Not so good with Lex, he was very trim, and everything was matter-of-fact with him, I could only assume what the unknown was doing to his mind, probably flipping it upside down. But he seemed to handle reasonably well, considering, though he was still having trouble.

I had happened to glance up during the conversation, for no reason really. I just felt compelled to look up to the walkway that went by the hotel. Lucky I did, cuz I saw it coming, headed right for Lexaeus.

"Move!" I shouted, and tackled Lex, shoving him out the way and it crashed right into where he had been sitting a second before. It was one of those things. Heartless, Maleficient had called them. It was just like that one in the third district a few weeks ago, all black, with the two yellow eyes. Obviously, this drew some attention. People gasped, pointed, and whispered, yelled, whatever, with each other. Except for two, the strangers who had been whispering before. The blonde one came and tried to block people from getting near it. He knew it was dangerous too, I wasn't the only one I guess. The brown haired one came with a sword I recognized, a sword with a gun set into the hilt. _I remember! He's the one who tried to attack Maleficient!_ He sliced straight through the Heartless, and it vaporized into a bunch of bubbles like the one I had killed did. When he did, my nose, which had been smelling that new smell like crazy for the past few minutes, eased up on the gas a little. It was the Heartless, whatever this smell was, the Heartless generated a _lot _of it.

"Wow," I began, and reached my hand to shake the stranger's, "thanks..." I got cut off. I assume I looked odd, cuz I swear my face twisted or conformed to some crazy shape it wasn't used to being in. A really, _really _bad smell this time, just like the Heartless, but much more intense. From out of nowhere a bunch of them appeared. Some like the one the brown-haired guy killed, some were taller, stood on two legs, with silverish helmets, like soldiers. The brown-haired stranger was really outnumbered, and they were all closing in on him. He could probably run, but all the people were behind him.

The blonde haired one figured this out, and looked at everyone else, "All of you better get outta here, no staring unless you wanna end up dead. Hurry up numb butts, get outta here!" and the people began to head out for the third district. Brown-hair was around the fountain, and beating back the Heartless that attacked him, but his moves were becoming less intentional, more desperate. He wouldn't last long. Suddenly, on my left, Lexaeus ran towards one of the soldier-type Heartless, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Hyaaaaah!" and with a punch that would've knocked me out for a week, Lexaeus smashed the Heartless right into the stone wall. I could hear a sickening _crack_ as the helmet cracked open. Probably either a really painful way to die, or a really quick one. Except death wasn't the end result here, the Heartless simply stood up and performed some action that was...kind of...like brushing himself off like nothing noticable occured. Scar swung his gun-sword and two more Heartless disappeared. While Lexaeus couldn't kill any of the Heartless, he could distract them long enough for Scar guy here to keep his cool and kill them all. Although the punch was a failure, Lexaeus was turning to different methods of defense. He had gone over to a bench, and picked it up, like it was acting as a huge club. Putting his force into it, muscles bulging at his exertion, he swung it into a group of the smaller black Heartless. Lexaeus though didn't hit anything this time. The little black Heartless just...melted it seemed into the floor. They became like shadows, and when the bench swung by overhead, they simply rose up and resumed their previous activity. One leaped for Lexaeus, trying to kill him, I guess he was a bit of a threat to them.

"Lex!" I shouted, and reached out my hand like I could help him. It was useless, he was too far away, I wouldn't be able to help him no matter how hard I tried. But like I've mentioned before, we were best friends, what was I supposed to do? _I have to save him, I'll never forgive myself if I can't..._

Except I was about to have a take two. I felt, more than saw, the bright, green/yellowish light consume my body again, just like that night with Maleficient. Suddenly a dark, purple/black cord shot out from my hand, and wrapped itself around the Heartless. On my end of it, it wrapped itself around my wrist, like it was some kind of gauntlet, and I felt a wave course through my body, into the rope, and into the Heartless, how I felt that last part, don't look at me, I'm just the guy who this happened to, I didn't cause it. The Heartless vaporized like the others. I stared at my hand for what seemed like a good long while. I flicked my forearm, testing this whip, and it was very powerful, I could feel it. I could smell that scent again, probably just more Heartless.

Looking up, I saw a black Heartless move in on Lexaeus. I flung my whip at him and sliced right through the Heartless. The blonde-haired stranger came now, he had a spear, and was stabbing at Heartless too. We definitely just turned this into an all out war. As we kept fighting, more Heartless kept appearing. It was an endless tide, we couldn't even tell if the number had peaked, more just kept coming. And then I had a reflex. A Heartless was leaping on my blind side, left side, without the weapon, which was entangled in some kind of floating ball Heartless. I extended my hand, just like that day, and from it came a small dark ball. Black on black, with a low sort of clanky hum, and a whirling sound, as it sucked up the Heartless, and pressed it to the ground. I thought it was simply melding into the ground, like it had with Lexaeus, except when it came back up, it burst apart and was destroyed. This time I tried it deliberately, on a group of them. The strange black ball came out and flattened everything it covered. Likewise, it blew them all apart. I used the technique again, this time it was bigger, more powerful. And suddenly, the Heartless pulled away. Just vanished into thin air.

"Ha-ha! Don't want any more of this, do you, you yellow cowards, huh?" the blonde-haired man shouted at the sky.

I sniffed the air. That stench was still there. An overpowering smell still. It wasn't quite as big, but it seemed somehow...closer. Though not as urgent. I couldn't figure it out, and looked to the two strangers who had helped us fight, "Thanks," I said, extending my arm to scar-face.

"You're welcome," he answered, giving me a quick shake, like I wasn't quite worth the time. I should have felt insulted, but I know everyone thought stuff like that, it was just which of us were willing to show it.

"Hey, kid, we better get back to the hotel, see if the girls are OK," the blonde-haired man said. Scar nodded and turned in the hotel's direction.

"Hey wait," I asked, stepping forward, almost too eagerly I suppose, "You guys know Maleficient, right?"

They turned around, and the blonde man answered, "Who the heck is that supposed to be?"

"You tried to kill her a few weeks ago," I said, looking at Scar. _What the heck? He obviously has a grudge against her, but doesn't even know her?_

"I don't know who you're talking about," Scar said turning away.

"It's hard to forget her," Lex said stepping up beside me, "black robe, green tip staff, horns coming outta her head."

That got their attention. Blondie raised his eyebrows, and gave Lex and me a look that just screamed "keep going". Scar didn't look at us, but I saw his fist trembling as his grip tightened on his sword. I just kind of looked back and forth between the two of them. It was quiet, for a very long time, like they were trying to take it all in.

Blondie lowered his head a bit, like he was averting his face from something disturbing, "Yeah, we know _that _witch."

"She's approached Zexion here a few times," Lex said, gesturing at me. "Maybe you know what her deal is, we can't figure her out."

"Witch has no 'deal'," Scar said, his voice low, barely controlled rage escaping his body. His speaking was more like talking from the throat than the mouth, like there was a lump there and his voice could barely make it out to us. "All she wants is to destroy, her and those Heartless, all they know is destruction."

"Wait, the _Heartless,_" I almost shouted in my confusion. "She's connected to those things?"

"She controls them," Blondie said, his voice was somewhat relieved from before, more normal. "Her and this other creep, some brown-robed dude."

"Wait, isn't she the one who _gave_ you those wierd powers?" Lexaeus said looking at me.

"If Maleficient gave you something, you should be careful. And you damn sure better not trust it," Scar said, turning around. His voice was still constricted, and his grip seemed looser, but it was definitely still an anger grip. "Maleficient destroyed our world. We barely made it here," he said, looking around the town.

"Well, I'm Zexion, this is Lexaeus," I said, "so you're the 'strangers' everyone kept talking about."

"Yeah, we are," Blondie said, "Name's Cid, this is Squall," he said pointing at his companion.

"Leon," he said, as if he were correcting him.

"Look," Lexaeus said, trying to mediate everyone to normalcy, "it's getting kinda late, I say we all get some rest, meet somewhere tommorow."

"Good idea," Cid said, "Where's your preference?"

"How about the restaurant in the first district?" I offered, looking from Lex to Cid to Leon. They all nodded their heads.

"We'll see you there, tommorow night at about six," Leon said, and walked away with Cid for the hotel.

"Well, someone else who knows about the Heartless. I would've never guessed," Lex said, looking up at the sky. We approached the district door, Lex pushed it open, went through, holding it open for me, I grabbed the handle and continued through. Our house was right by the district door, some 10 meters from it. I got a strong smell this time. I know before I said this smelling thing wasn't quite a good or bad smell, but this was bad, I must have grimaced or something because Lexaeus looked at me funny, "something wrong?"

I shook my head no, "No, sorry, I don't know, whatever." I moved on to the current topic, "Yeah, I can't believe it, incredible."

"Yes, incredible," a soft but poisonous voice said behind us. I spun around, and saw Lexaeus scowl out of the corner of my eye. _Maleficient._ "But not quite as incredible as you were, my dear Zexion," she said making a grand gesture at me.

"You're the one in control of the Heartless right?" Lexaeus asked her, "That means you sent those things after us tonight, what's your deal? You trying to kill us for no reason?"

"Us?" Maleficient confusedly chuckled, "there is no us, dear Lexaeus, only Zexion. This was all a test for him." She turned to me, I hope I didn't look half as confused as I felt, then I probably would've looked helpless, but I think I did, "Yes, Zexion, you seemed quite firm in your desire to resist your darkness. Even though you have opened your heart to it, your mind and soul do not yet understand that. I needed to use you to your full potential, young one," she said explaining her situation.

Next to her, another being materialized. This one was very different, he wore a brown robe. I didn't want to be rude and stare, but I couldn't find a face under his hood. He floated there, with this odd, greenish glow around him. And this smell, it was intense, overpowering, I could no longer even smell what I figured was Maleficient, or any other smells I could normally smell. This one was overpowering, which probably meant it was this guy, whoever he was.

"Hey Zex," Lexaeus asked me, "doesn't this guy look like that 'other one' Leon and Cid described?"

"You're right," I said. This was definitely that other general who commanded Heartless.

His voice was very deep, and somehow...soothing, I think. It was definitely strange, to feel comforted by this definitely evil man, but Lex didn't seem so. Maybe Maleficient's darkness had taken more root than I believed, "Yes, you have grown quite powerful," he told me, "worthy of one who wields the darkness."

"You too, huh?" Lex said, he had balled his fists, and was looking to be ready for a fight.

"Lex, stand back," I ordered him. It must have sounded wierd, for the first time in his life, he wasn't the stronger one. I was always slim, frail in a way, feminine even, if you want to give me an overall appearance rating, Lex always had the brawn, the muscle to protect himself, and me once or twice. But after this whole darkness fiasco, I was now the stronger one, and certainly by more folds than Lex had ever been more powerful than me. I summoned my whip back to me. It appeared about the same as it had before, extending from some kind of energy focus in my palm, and wrapping itself around my wrist and forearm.

"Ah, most impressive," the brown-cloaked man said, "you have managed to control your powers most exquisitely after only one trial run, you certainly are magnificent," he said looking at me. "You were right Maleficient, he may be the perfect candidate."

"Candidate for what?" I asked, readying myself for an attack, "why don't you share with the rest of the class?"

"To become one with the darkness," Maleficient said, "You can become as powerful as us, if you would only yield to the darkness in your heart. Why don't you open up to it?" she offered me, extending her arm.

"I don't think so, and become as stupid as you two to boot? How dumb do you think I am?"

"Very well, perhaps the proper motivation..." Maleficient trailed off, and pointed her staff at Lexaeus.

Green lightning shot out and entangled Lex, lifting him off the ground. I don't think those screams are something I'll ever forget, "Hraaa-AAAAHHHH!" he screamed in desperation. Powerless, that was the only way to describe him.

"Stop!" I shouted, flicking my whip at Maleficient. But it just bounced off her, it was no use. Lex continued to cry out in pain, I could see the tears welling up in his eyes, "I told you to stop it you witch!" And I fired my black ball at her, but it just fizzled out on top of her.

She smiled menacingly, and the brightness of that lightning intensified, and Lex cried out in more pain, and then, he went limp. _Damnit, this is supposed to make me stronger right? That's how it works in all the stories. My friend gets hurt, and I get more powerful, angrier, more desperate, I'm supposed to be the one who saves him in the nick of time. _"Rrraaaaahhhh!" I launched another ball at her, this one was bigger, huge, it encompassed the enitre street. It didn't do anything to Maleficient, but it did leave a huge cracked outline in the pavement. So it wasn't that I was weak, I was just not strong _enough_, probably the most humiliating kind of defeat. _No way, I have to save him! _Out of options, I ran straight at Maleficient, I was going to hand-to-hand if I must, I had to save Lex. Except robe-guy set himself right between me and the witch. He extended his hand to my chest before I could react. His hand went straight into my chest, it didn't hurt, but certainly was uncomfortable. I swung at him but my hand only went right through him.

"No," he said, apparently speaking to Maleficient, "it won't work. Though his darkness is vast, he can only unlock it with his light. It will never do."

Maleficient dropped her electric grip on Lexaeus, who dropped to the floor. "Very well, what shall we do with him then?"

The brown robed man curtly replied, "Why don't we just kill him," and disappeared as he had arrived.

Maleficient looked back at me, "Very well," and she raised her staff over her head. I heard Lex groan over to my side, but I saw my opporunity, I raked my whip over to hit Maleficient in the side, but like before, it kind of just bounced off her.

"Meteors of Heaven! Unleash my fury!" Witches and their battle cries. Although it was a bad time t mock her in my head, as these HUGE meteors shot out from behind her and came soaring at me. I used my black ball to neutralize one of them, the second hit me right on, and flung me into the stone wall. The thrid passed me by, angled poorly I guess, and the final one was a glancing blow, but crushed my left arm.

"Zexion!" Lexaeus was up. His fist slammed into the pavement, causing a tremor in the ground. _That was wierd._

Maleficient turned to face him, "Ah, so you too have powerful darkness in your heart. I'm afraid that means I shall need to destroy you, too."

Maleficient launched a meteor at Lex, even if he had darkness, I didn't think he'd be able to stop it. But right in front of him, another being materialized. This one didn't have that dark-portal thing, he just kind of faded into existence. He was wearing some strange clothes, bluish-white, he had long brown hair, and carried a sapphire shield. like an oval, with five spikes coming out of the bottom extension. At this point, the meteor was like three meters from them. The new stranger raised his arm from the ground to the sky, "Hooo!" and a wall of ice came up right in front of him. The meteor hit, shattering the wall of ice, but the meteor was also destroyed on impact. I ran over to Lexaeus, who seemed pretty much recovered. I looked back to the guy who just saved his life. Using the same hand, which was still above his head, he lowered it directly in front of him, glowing a light blue all over his body. In his strange tenor-like voice, he seemed oddly intimidating after this show of force, "Diamond Dust," and shards of ice shot out from his hand, covering Maleficient in a casing of frozen water. Even as she was being covered, I could see her bright green fire glowing beneath it, melting her prison.

"If you two want to stay alive, I recommend you come with me," he said, extending his arm to us, offering it for us to take. We heard Maleficient scream as she burst out of the ice case. The ice man became more urgent, "Quickly! Grab on!" We complied, and grabbed his hand. I felt wierd for a moment, a sensation went through my body. And suddenly, the world rippled, and disappeared. And then, we were...home? It was like Traverse Town, just not. The buildings were lighter in their tone, and it wasn't night anymore, it was dusk. "Close one," the ice man told us. "By the way, welcome to Twilight Town."

"Twilight...Town...?" Lex asked as he stood up, looking around him.

Although I didn't get quite as good a look, as I blacked out right about then.


	19. 19

**19**

**Marluxia**

Namine had recovered fully since she had awoken. Her spirit was pretty strong, after being out so long, she still had pretty good mobility, and after a couple months of therapy, was now a running, active girl. She said she didn't have a family, she didn't even recognize where she was. Something about a big castle, with strange electric elevators. Kids, but as far as anyone in town knew, this kid came from nowehere. We had set up posters, and advertised on the media, informed the police of the situation. But, until anyone came, I was taking care of her. It was all in all a difficult situation.

I was cleaning up after dinner, and she was in the living room, drawing pictures, one of her favorite things to do. I wiped my forehead and took off the rubber gloves. Yeah, yeah, rubber glove guy, I'm so tough I know, able to resist the squemishness of dirty dishes. Oh well, what can you do? I turned around and saw Namine standing there. She was holding something silver in her hands, I didn't recognize it at first, but realized it was a picture after a few seconds thinking about it.

"Marluxia...who's this?" she said, looking at the picture. I didn't know who she was refferring to, until I realized that she was holding the picture I kept at my bedside, not one of the normal ones scattered throughout the house. It was special, before my sister died. It was full of memories for me, back when my family was complete.

"You mean the girl?" I asked her. She nodded her head. "That's my big sister, Kira. Why do you ask?"

"Where is she?" Namine pressed on. Oh great, a six year old. What do I do now? Does she know about death? Maybe, but I didn't really know, the first relative who died in my home was my sister, and I was about Namine's age, but I knew that wasn't very common, usually it happened later in a child's life.

"Well," I began, unsure how to proceed, I decided I'd be direct, "when I was about your age, she got very sick, and died."

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked, still keeping her gaze fixed upon the picture.

"Yes, often it is. Everyone dies, Namine, but, it's not a good thing, especially when you're a child, like Kira was."

"Her name is familiar. I think she's my other part, but it's not her name."

This, very confusing. I decided to ask her to clarify what she meant, "What do you mean by 'your other part'? Do you mean a sister?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. Finally she looked up at me, "She's my other part. Her name's Kairi, I'm like her, and was for a long time before the meteors."

"What do you mean by being like her?"

She looked up at the sky, like she was seeking the answers, like she understood it, but didn't know how to explain. "I think I'm actually a part of her, but I'm not really her. I'm...just not. I change from her every now and then, like that thing," she finished, pointing to her shadow on the floor.

"Oh, you mean you're Kairi's shadow?" I asked, making sure I had the right idea.

"Yes," she fnished. She looked back to the picture, "Does Kira dying make you sad, Marluxia?"

"Yes, very often it does. I didn't know her very well, but for the small part I did, I cared for her very much. But sometimes I wonder if it was worth it." I shook my head, listen to me, harping on a little girl about stuff like this. "Now why don't you put that back where it was Namine, and maybe we can read a book?" I offered the little blonde girl.

"OK," she said, and her little pitter-patter footsteps echoed in my wooden home, as she ran to my room, and put the picture back. I went into the living room, and was quickly followed by the little girl. I read her the story, and she seemed to enjoy it, but also seemed far off, like her mind was preoccupied doing something. Eventually she gave out and fell asleep. I went and tucked her in, and went to my own bed. I looked at the picture of my family I kept next to it, it always gave me a sense of warmth. Although, there was this one girl, she seemed maybe nine or ten years old, and for the life of me I couldn't grasp her name right now, or who she was. I figured I'd just sleep on it.

I woke the next morning, and remembered something about my family photo had bugged me the night before. I glanced at it. Nope, nothing wrong. Just me, my mom, and my dad, just like it was supposed to be.


	20. 20

**20**

**Writer's Note:** Seem to be doing these more than I had originally intended. Meh. OK, this is more of a "me" chapter than normal, as I'm offering my views on light and darkness, which, I think, KH2 and CoM have been hinting at, so I'm taking the liberty of expressing my views within this story, with the ever so slightest of modifications to match the situations, however from the looks of things, I'm trying to fit it in as it appears the games are taking it. Also, make sure you read Vexen's explanation of dark and light a couple times, as that will lay foundation for the rest of the story's dealing with the light and darkness, just make sure you understand it, it will save you trouble later on P.

I realize I'm probably breaking a storyline rule, and that is alowing everyone to know DiZ was Ansem, because as far as we know, only Vexen knew that. And Riku, (hence the "Riku in the trailer" theories etc. etc.), but Oh Well,

P.S.-Thanks people for the reviews, I actually feel motivated to continue now. P OK, onto the REAL Founding

**Lexaeus**

"Excuse me," I heard a deep voice behind me. I turned around and saw DiZ standing there, his arm pointed at a spare bedroom, "but your friend is waking up."

"Thank you," I said, and went in to see Zexion. He was sitting up already, Vexen attending to his bedside.

Although maybe I should rewind a bit. See, since Maleficient came and "tempered" Zex's heart, we'd had a battle with the Heartless, and Zex had some wierd powers. Then Maleficient and some brown-robed guy came, I had since learned he was called Ansem, and tried to kill me to 'unlock' Zex's power, as they had put it. When Ansem had seen Zex would never be completely darkness, he ordered Zex killed, and while Maleficient tried to kill him, I guess the same thing happened to me, I had tapped into some darkness the way Zexion did, and Maleficient tried to kill me. I was saved by Vexen, and introduced to DiZ, who was Ansem's "shell". I still didn't quite understand what was going on, but we were now in some place called Twilight Town. It was similar to Traverse Town, but other than being heavily populated, the difference was pretty big, I was lost in it, but I'd spent these past three days in DiZ's home mostly. DiZ said there were other things to discuss, but he'd wait until Zex was recovered, as he had collapsed after the battle with Maleficient.

"Hey Zex, how you doing?" I asked walking up to him.

He managed a weak smile, "I assume it looks worse than it feels," he said.

"You're right about that," Vexen interjected, he was a scientist of some kind, and as such was a bit more qualified to play doctor than the rest of us, not by much mind you, but quite a bit comparatively, "Maleficient shattered your arm. Any normal person would never be able to use it again. Lucky you," he finsihed up.

"Whatever," Zex said blowing him off, but he compensated by showing a little gratitude, "Thanks though...uh, what's your name?"

"Vexen," he said, "you're lucky you survived though, most of the work's been yours."

"Where are we?" Zex asked looking at me.

"A place called Twilight Town," I answered, "another world. Guess you got your dream after all, huh?"

Zex lowered his head, "Yeah," he quietly muttered, to himself I suppose. I had expected him to jump up and down for joy, busted arm and all, he'd waited for this for so long. I think I was happier for him than he was.

"How long have I been out?" he said turning back to me.

"About three days," I said.

"Give or take a few hours," Vexen interrupted again, a trait common with him I suppose, although I hadn't noticed it until like five minutes ago when I came in. Odd, maybe it was Zexion? Who knew.

"Pardon the intrusion," DiZ said, bowing to us slightly as he entered the room, "but are you feeling better Zexion? Perhaps I can offer you some food? Any accomodation I can offer?"

Zex put his hand up in respectful refusal, "No, I'm quite fine."

"Very well, if you are sure," he turned to Vexen, "is he recovered enough for emotional strain?"

Vexen gave him a strange, questioning look, then almost instantly he seemed to remember whatever it was, and realization lit up his face, "I'm sure he can handle it, all that needs mending is the bone, which will take a few weeks if he keeps it inactive, but no, I'd say he's ready to walk about and carry on as normal."

"Good," DiZ said, and turned to look at Zexion, "do you know who it was who attacked you?"

"One was Maleficient," Zexion said, looking up into his memories of the event, "and the other I don't know." He looked suspiciously at DiZ, I figured he had made the vocal connection. DiZ and Ansem had the same voice, maybe he remembered enough of that night to make that connection.

"The other was my true self, Ansem," DiZ explained, "I am his shell, the body lost when the heart left." He shook his head, realizing he had probably gone too far too fast. "You know of the Heartless, yes? Well when someone loses their heart, their body and soul seperate, and become one as I, a nobody. When that happens, the heart can either roam free, or, as is most common, be devoured by a Heartless. Ansem, however, sacrificed me, his body, to attain darkness and its power. As such, he roams freely with Maleficient, controling the Heartless, attacking world after world. This is where you come in, you have darkness in your heart, Zexion."

This made Zex shift uncomfortably in his bed, but DiZ raised a hand as if to settle him down, "But this is not a bad thing. Darkness resides in every heart, as does light. Light resides within even Ansem, through me, as I am still a part of him. Your darkness, Zexion, is powerful, and your mind is equally powerful, making the combination a deadly one. Your friend Lexaeus here has darkness as well, his darkness is larger, but what remains to be seen is if he can control it as well as you. But Ansem, I believe, has not adapted to his bodyless state as well as he would hope, and is attempting to accquire a body to use as his own. However, that person's heart must fully embrace darkness. You have not, and this is wise, you have recognized the strength of your darkness, and at the same time the necessity of your light. You are unsuitable for Ansem to possess. Perhaps Vexen is in a better place to explain the difference?" he offered, gesturing at the long haired scientist.

"Well," Vexen began, "light and darkness are different, but not quite the way you think. Light has become synonymous with good, as darkness is now synonymous with evil. Though the definitions are much more complicated than that. Your light is your individuality, your power of will. Light is what seperates you from a Heartless, your individuality, your emotions, and your ability to choose, the attributes a Heartless doesn't have. Darkness isn't quite the opposite, but is on that side of the scale." He looked up, combing his thoughts, which seemed kind of sporadic, although I had once heard an old saying that says the most brilliant have the least common sense. "Actually scale is the wrong word. Light and Darkness should be seen as a pie, I suppose in lame-man's terms. One third is the 'darkness' slice, another third is the 'light' slice, the final thrid is actually two pieces of one sixth, that seperate the light and darkness, making up the 'twilight' and 'dawn' areas. All of us in this room are in the twilight areas, excepting DiZ, who is in the very center, belonging to neither slice, as he began as nothing. See, all humans, as children, only possess light. There is an old story on my world that children rebuilt the world destroyed by darkness with their fragments of light in their hearts. When one begins in light, and moves towards darkness, they become twilight. Dawn is a very rare creature, as one must _begin_ in darkness, and come towards light. Darkness is difficult to describe, for it is power, and pain, and negative emotion. But...it is hard to describe this, but it is also love. Love for itself, for others of darkness. It is something which Ansem also realizes."

"What do you mean?" I asked the scientist, this was a strange conclusion. How could darkness be love?

"In our world, there is a constant, self-defeating struggle. See, darkness and light _need_ to coexist, otherwise they _cease_ to exist. Without light or darkness, to show its opposite, the one that remains ceases to be light or darkness, and simply becomes _existence_. Yet these two forces have a driving urge to destroy each other. And they both have the same reason: peace. Both darkness and light crave serenity. As they are independently, they are opposing forces, that do not understand how to blend with each other, as we have learned. Most being capable of light and darkness are forced to choose. And when that happens, they still desire the same thing, they desire tranquility. That is what Ansem seeks, as he destroys world after world. He seeks the door that will open everlasting darkness, a place that will not contain this struggle. A place of pure peace, and love, for all beings exist as one."

"Wait," Zexion interrupted Vexen this time, "Ansem has destroyed worlds?"

Vexen looked somewhat embarrassed, "Oh yes, forgive me, I have forgotten you do not know of that. Ansem has used the Heartless to destroy worlds' cores, the 'Heart' of the world, if you will. In doing so he is upsetting the balance of light and dark, and that place of pure existence is what I believe he is attempting to unlock."

DiZ looked over to Zexion, "That is why Ansem could not accept you, for you retain just enough light to upset his balance, even enough to upset Ansem's own determination. He doesn't want to lose his resolve, which may happen if he were to possess you."

Vexen spoke up again, "Your light is your blessing. However, we haven't a way to battle Ansem," he said rather depressingly.

"What do you mean?" Zexion asked, "can't we just get a bunch of fighters together and meet him head on?"

"Wait," I jumped in, "what about all the Heartless? We'd never be able to destroy them all."

"The Heartless aren't a problem," Vexen corrected me, I was pretty shocked about that. "The real problem is Ansem himself. Being pure darkness as is, he can't be defeated unless there is darkness at least stronger than him. And finding someone with an ability for becoming twilight, who also has darkness greater than Ansem, if not multitude's more powerful. The odds are against us, added on to that a being of twilight must also wield light, and we end up with a near impossible situation."

"There is another way," DiZ quietly spoke, looking at the floor. "We could find the key master." I looked at Vexen, this was where I expected him to say something like 'Of course how silly of me!', but he didn't know what DiZ was talking about either. Seeing the confused expressions on our faces, DiZ explained himself, "Ansem once met a king from a distant world, very soon after the meteor shower. He spoke of a 'key', something, a weapon most likely, that would come to the light when its need was greatest. Only the being it chooses can wield it. Different from the princesses, who would be of pure light, the master would also possess darkness, but that darkness would not be like normal darkness. It was something special, I don't know how, but it would result in the most powerful heart in all the worlds."

"Yes...I can see how that works, then their strength must merely match Ansem's, it would require the smallest tip of the scale to turn _that _battle. A tip we could set off if need be."

We agreed it the best policy. It was decided that we would be resistance on the worlds Ansem and Maleficient were attacking, and try and stall them as long as we possibly could, to buy the 'master', whoever it was, as much time as we could. DiZ introduced us to two other people who were also involved with this darkness and light concept. We all met a few hours afterwards, after Vexen had gone out and gathered them, introductions were made, everyone brought up to speed, and we decided to do as we four had thought of, to delay Ansem's advance upon the worlds.

"Can someone teach Lex how to use his power?" Zexion asked as we agreed to our plan. I was surprised, I didn't think Zexion would come to bat for me in a sort of awkward situation. Then again, he was very different from the Zex I knew those months ago, before the meteor shower.

"Yes, I will handle that, in between his assistance to Vexen, who will be in charge of the search for this 'Master'," he looked around at everyone else, "the rest of you will take part in the delay tactics until Vexen finds this champion. When I feel Lexaeus is ready to join you, he will help as well. And if we are going into battle, we will need some kind of chain of command."

"Quite," Vexen spoke up, "and I move that DiZ be elected our superior." The rest of us voiced our agreement. And, probably not to show any elitist attitude, or something, either way, I interpereted it as false modesty, "And, to rank us, I would say, ranking in order of our assossiation with DiZ, based upon our first meeting." Maybe he just didn't like Zexion? That would place him at least second to last. Last come to think of it, as I met DiZ technically three days before him.

"If there are no objections, then I suppose we could..." DiZ said, looking to anyone for objection. I felt I should, but as I saw it, I couldn't prove anything, and perhaps this was a good idea anyway, I was probably letting personal feelings get in the way again. "Very well, then," DiZ concluded, "then we shall all be ranked, why not by number? If you desire me to be your leader, than I shall be Number One. All the way down to Zexion, who shall be Number Six, agreed?" We all said we had no complaints.

"We're gonna need a name," Zexion said, "If we want to be official and all."

"Yeah, this organization needs to be recognized," I said.

"Why?" said Vexen across the table. "We don't want attention drawn on ourselves, yes? Perhaps it should be simple, or, more to the point, as Lexaeus said, Organization. The Organization."

We all looked to DiZ for his opinion. All he did though was smile, and say with a faint chuckle in his voice, "It's as good a name as any."


	21. 21

**21**

**Writer's Note: **I figured I'd offer some insight for those who don't know anything about Final Mix, this is the 11th Ansem Report that I post here, FYI.

**Vexen**

"So, what do you think of the new duds?" Zexion asked me, modeling off the new uniform he and Number 2 had picked. It was black, all black, with two small clear crystals as hood ties, the cloak extended down to about the knee or ankle, depending on the wearer, and was lined by a chain at the top where it attached at the neck. Boots and gloves, the pants were nothing special, but they both said they were incredibly comfortable, and good for combat, which might be one of our passtimes now with the Heartless. There was also an unusually large zipper going up the front, Number 6 and Number 2 said it was fashionable, and convenient for our needs. I didn't bother to try and understand.

"It should suffice," I answered, and went back to my notes. I had performed small "raids" on my old home, there was a great library in the bastion, with many books on darkness and light. Also I grabbed some of myths in my trips there. Not once have I run into Heartless or Ansem, or anyone for that matter, so I hoped no one would be missing them.

"The tailor who made them said we can all be outfitted by the end of the week," Zexion went on, though I really wasn't interested, "Well, except DiZ of course, he wants to keep his red cloak and mask. Can't really figure him out though." He leaned on the desk and questioned me further, "Do you understand him at all?"

"Not really," I said, keeping my eyes on my books and papers, "And I don't think I ever will."

"Well, didn't you use to work with Ansem?" Zexion asked me.

I still didn't bother to look at him, hoping he'd leave me alone, it wasn't that he was annoying, it was just that he was annoying at this moment, "It is important to remember that DiZ is his own person, he is completely different than the Ansem I worked with." Zexion seemed unsatisfied with this answer but he didn't push it any further. Despite this, he didn't leave. "Aren't you supposed to be finding out where the Heartless will strike next?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Only DiZ can locate Ansem on a whim, and he says he's still in Hollow Bastion. The Heartless don't seem to be headed in a pattern, so we can't anticipate them that way. As far as we can tell, there aren't any attacks at the moment, everything seems pretty quiet out there."

"It is the calm before the storm," I told him, a little more cryptic than I usually am, "Ansem is gathering as many Heartless as he can before assaulting the next world. There are relatively few Heartless compared to the number of sentient beings in the universe, the rush was his surprise attack, now he appears to have over-extended his forces. My guess is they are trying to regroup."

Zexion rolled his eyes at me, "And you know this...how?"

I looked back to my notes again, "Ansem is a headstrong man, he operates before considering consequences, but he is not impetuous, he won't make a move unless he is certain he can make it."

"Fair enough," Zexion said, standing up straight, "Do you know anything about these princesses? DiZ said his memory isn't that good to remember it, but he knows Ansem will be targeting them. And as there's only seven, he said you might have an idea how to track them down."

"The Princesses of Heart were a theory, I never considered the fact that they existed," I answered him. "I wouldn't know a scientific means of locating them. All I know is that their Light to Darkness ratio is infinitely higher than any other living being." Suddenly, I was hit with an idea. "which means you will be the one to find them," I said looking up at the youth.

"Me?" he asked, and looking a little bewildered, "and how do I do that?"

"Your nose," I told him rather matter-of-factly. "Your heart and soul are so intertwined, your darkness seeps into the senses. Once you master the ability to smell out darkness, and compare smells to others and identify people merely by their scent, you would be able to sniff out the princesses, as it were. If you can identify the princesses before Ansem locates them, we could manage a tighter defense around them."

"And how will I be able to do that?" Zexion said, it sounded like he was getting annoyed, but I wasn't a mind-reader, I couldn't answer all his questions at once.

"Practice," I told him, "and that's about all I can say. We're all relatively new to this idea of using darkness, in fact, you are the most experienced with it in terms of actual field practice."

Zexion shrugged, and took a glance at the corner of my desk. He picked up some hand-written notes sitting there. I wasn't thinking and figured let him satisfy his curiousity, until I remembered what they were, "Be careful with those! They're priceless artifiacts."

"What are they?" he asked looking at me, yet refusing to relinquish control of the notes.

"That is Ansem's report on the Heartless. I am in the process of copying them, hopefully to memorize the important parts, and DiZ said I should scatter them to the worlds."

"What, we don't want Ansem to find them? He wrote them didn't he?"

"That was the point of making notes," I answered, "in case he were to forget something. But these had collected dust when I got there, I assume they haven't been seen yet. If we're lucky Ansem and Maleficient will believe they were lost when the Heartless overran the Bastion."

Zexion nodded with mild understanding, and proceeded to read aloud from the paper in his hand, fate plays odd tricks on us, doesn't it? " 'In opening the door that stores a world's hearts, the wall around that world is broken down. We see this as a shooting star. Through this, I have been able to understand the reason why the material known as Gummi Blocks has the ability to allow travel to other worlds.

"The cause of a world's wall collapsing is the appearance of the Heartless, but finding a world's door takes time. And robbing a world of its heart is a similar case.

"If the door has been closed by the key known as the Keyblade, you probably cannot reach that world's heart again. Before the one with the Keyblade appears in this world, I must take measures to do something.

"Supposing that there is a close relationship between the Princesses and the Keyblade, it seems likely that they will resonate with each other...'" He and I looked at each other, "does that mean we can find the Key with the Princesses?"

"I'm not sure," I answered warily, "Is there anything else on that paper?"

Zexion continued to read from the report, "I have chosen one special girl. I do not know if she possesses a power like that of the Princesses. But, there is a chance, and this is an experiment. She may lead me to the place where the one holding the key is...

"I shall send her off to the ocean of other worlds.' Wait a second," Zexion said, tapping the paper like it didn't make any sense, though he had gotten its meaning easy enough. "An artificial Princess of Heart?"

"It would appear so," I said, and extended my hand to Zexion in a motion for him to give me the paper, which he did. I looked over the notes again, "I hadn't gotten to this one. So Ansem sent a fake princess to find the Keyblade Master." I shook the hand holding the papers at Zexion in an 'I told you so' manner, "See? You have to harness that sense of smell you have, not only can it lead us to the princesses but the Master as well."

"I'll have to get on it," Zexion stammered, still a bit bewildered about the situation. Though it must have been uncomfortable, knowing the fate of the known worlds was in your hands. I was actually glad it was him and not me, I don't like responsibility like that.

"So, until Zexion has mastered his powers, we can do little in terms of searching, right?" DiZ asked. We were all assembled, Numbers 1-6, and I was presenting the finding to the rest.

"Yes," I answered, "It was in Ansem's report. He created a princess, and sent her to find the Keyblade Master, meaning only Zexion can find them now. We have no other leads. Until further notice, Zexion is the key to our plan."

"Alright," DiZ said, "Then until then we..." but he stopped short. He shuddered, and so did Zexion, at the same time, then I felt it, so did Numbers 2 and 3, but Lexaeus didn't.

"What was that?" Zexion asked, looking around. Lexaeus simply looked confused.

"What happened?" Lexaeus asked us, clearly wanting to be in on the loop.

"A...a great darkness," DiZ answered. "I think that was a world falling to the Heartless."

"Wait, shouldn't we have known about a world coming under attack?" Lexaeus asked, "I thought you said it was a long process from invading to destroying a world."

"Ansem was apparently lucky," Zexion said. "Here we are looking for the Keyblade Master, and Ansem gets to move on in his agenda."

"It's also likely Ansem remembers where this girl was placed," I added, "so he will be able to avoid that world until the very end. We won't be able to locate it by following him."

"Won't it be difficult for Zex to go from world to world sniffing everyone individually?" Lexaeus asked, "I mean the range has to be limited to some distance, so he has to walk that distance looking for the princesses, right?"

But no one answered. We knew this was hopeless. Try as we might, it was looking utterly hopeless to speed up destiny.


	22. 22

**22**

**Larxene**

It was raining out. It was odd how nature sometimes seemed to play right into our emotions. Life was just funny that way, I guess. I was walking, slowly, and kind of sluggish, to the hospital where my dad was staying. He'd come down with some kind of cancer, the doctors didn't know too much about it. It spread fast too, after only two months he was now on life support. He wasn't going to make another month. My Dad had always been strong, one of those people who was looked up to in the community. He was a fisherman his entire life, he'd stayed in shape up until now. But he was nearing sixty, and time had just caught up with him, even if it was faster than what was natural for something like this. I made my way into the hospital to my Dad's small room. He looked terrible.

He was hooked up to at least 3 different machines. One to circulate waste, as his digestive system was breaking down. One to feed him for the same reason, and he was on a respirator now because he was losing the fight, his lungs had started decreasing in functionality the past couple days. They had called me a few minutes ago to tell me that he was on this thing. The nurse saw me and quietly made her way out of the room to give us some space, and told me that she'd send the doctor to see me.

I walked up to my Dad's bedside and saw him lying there. His head didn't move, but I saw his eyes trace over to me and he managed a weak smile. It was then I realized he was in terrible pain. Not just physical, but his eyes seemed empty, like his spirit had just been shattered. I tried to smile back.

"Larxene..." he said, his voice was barely a whisper, "I'm glad you made it, but I really didn't want you...to see me...like this..." his breathing was becoming heavier, even speaking was sapping his strength. I reached down and held his hand, my childhood wasn't exactly easy, my mom had died a while ago, and Dad was always working. But it wasn't bad by any means, he and I always did stuff together, when he had the chance. I loved him very much because of his effort, it was difficult to see him like this, I admit.

"Have you gotten any sleep?" I asked him, asking 'are you feeling OK?' seemed insulting at this point.

"Enough," he told me. That meant either very little or none in his father-daughter vocabulary.

"Excuse me, Miss Larxene?" Doctor Brown was in the doorway, motioning if he could come in. I nodded and he came about half-way in the room, I guess he wanted a private chat.

"Dad, you get some sleep," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. He tried to shake his head 'yes', but he was already nodding off. I guess he felt more comfortable with me here. I made my way over to Dr. Brown and tried to fight the urge to latch on and pour out my tears.

"Larxene, I have good but bad news. His cancer is dying, the therapy is working, and we can hold it at bay. However, we still can't cure it. We can keep him alive, here, like this, for eternity, but unless a cure is found, he'll be stuck here," he laid out for me rather directly. I sat silent, dumb, for a few moments, and he continued, "We can either do that, or we can pull the plug, it's really up to you, you're an only child, correct?" I nodded. "I know this can't be easy for you, you don't have to decide now, but please soon, so we can make preparations for a more permanent residence for him," he said.

I shook my head 'no', "I already know," I said, my voice low, choking up with emotion, I was speaking in a half-whisper half-voice that must have been a dead give away. "He can't suffer. I...I want to let him die."

"Very well. You may say goodbye to him if you desire," he said, gesturing at the bed. I walked over and looked down at him, and heard his quiet snoring. I couldn't help but smile at how peaceful he looked.

"No, he's asleep, I don't want to distrub him. Just do it."

Dr. Brown nodded solemnly, and went over and turned off my Dad's machines. I took my father's hand one last time, and held it right up to my cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

I saw him drift out, his breathing slowed, stopped, and the little heart-monitor gave a flat line and that infamous long beep that indicated his heart had stopped. It was an eternity, and it only lasted for an instant. I had no concept of time anymore. This was it though, the last time. I began to sing quietly, they say your ears and hearing are the last things to go, so I sang him a lullaby he had always sung to me.

Dr. Brown came up and put his hand on my shoulder, "If I can ask, what made you decide so quickly?"

I kept looking at my father's peaceful features, "To preserve his dignity." I stayed for a little while longer, and left to go to my empty home. I cried myself to sleep for the next two weeks.


	23. 23

**23**

**Writer's Note:** It's been a long time, and I'm afraid the next update will be just as long is not longer, I must prepare a demo for my team's video game at Portcon, so I'll be incredibly busy as I have been. Yes, I'm using Mulan, which, in my opinion, is the last of the Disney masterpiece collection. Everything that's come out of that cesspool since 1998 has been one major disappointment after another I'm afraid. And if you haven't played Final Mix, may I introduce you to Number 2, otherwise known as the Enigmatic Man, Sora's test (at least most of us think his number is two). He's a fascinating guy, but since he's un-named, I can't fully elaborate on his powers. Maybe I'll add in-between chapters and rewrite after KH2 comes out, we'll see.

**Zexion**

A boring day. No Heartless attacks for about four days. It was a pattern. Ansem and Maleficient would hit a few worlds at the same time, destroy them all in maybe a week or two, then regroup for a week, then start all over again. Thing is I was getting antsy. I was supposed to develop this sense of smell of mine, but how can I do that when I can't even practice my abilities? Number 2 and Number 3 weren't much help, they didn't like fighting. I suppose I understood, they were weaker than me, but I was the subordinate. They might surpass me soon, we'd just figured out the three tiers for power.

Though I should explain that. See, a person's power with the Darkness (and so we presumed Light as well, with slight tweaks) was based on three dimensions. Each dimension interacts with the other, and when all three points can be charted out, you get a fair knowledge of how strong a person is. The first one is simple Potential. That's it, how much Darkness do you have in your Heart, and what's the maximum you can have. Pretty simple stuff so far. The second dimension is your Link, how entwined your mind and soul are with your Heart, thus with your Darkness. The more you understood it, the more blended you were with it, the more you could maximize your Potential dimension. The third, and most important area, was Will. There was a limit to how far one could plunge yourself into the Darkness without being consumed by it. If you took even one little baby-step beyond what your Heart and soul could control, you'd fall forever into the Darkness, into an abyss that would swallow you up until you became even lower than a Heartless. This was often dependent upon the Light you possessed, not the only factor, but the biggest one. Another was tolerance, you could gradually build up a sort of "immunity" to Darkness, or at least the amount that would drive you insane, like it had Ansem. I didn't really know, Vexen and DiZ maintained Ansem was a master of Darkness, 100, and had his own consciousness, I disagreed, but then again, it wasn't quite my area of expertise.

So while I wandered the garden area of DiZ's home, which had become our new headquarters until we devised a more suitable location, I ran into Lexaeus. He had started to wear his robe after he began to learn about his Darkness from DiZ. At first he thought the robes were too extreme, too girly, too...me. But he'd come around, and had begun to wear it. He didn't need to, they were for concealment against the enemy, and right now, he was still in training. It was odd, to take orders from a guy I could wipe out in a heartbeat, not that I would do that to my best friend, but it just felt wierd nonetheless. "What's up, Lex?" I asked him.

"News from DiZ, he says Ansem is attacking a world. Some place called 'Ancient China'," Lex told me without wasting any time.

"Good, I've been bored," I said. I turned to go get Number 2 and Number 3, but Lex stopped me in my tracks.

"I'm coming too," he said. It was flatlined, so monotone it almost hurt my ears. Discussion was final that meant, Lex was coming one way or another, but just for grins, I decided to see why.

"DiZ say it's OK?" I asked him without looking back.

"Yes, it's my field test. He wants to see how I handle in real battle."

"Is Vexen coming?" I kept on.

"Yes, but not to fight. To investigate, take samples of Heartless, and analyze Ansem," and after a small embarrassed pause, "and to protect me just in case."

"Alright then, let's go," I said, and went to get the others. When we had all assembled, we teleported to the world. We could have used a gummi ship, but that would have been drawing unneccessary attention to ourselves. Despite the small bit of pain you felt afterwards, it was fairly safe travel, the pain always went away, and was growing less and less each time. Number 2 took command of the situation when we got there.

"Number 3, you go with Number 4 and Number 5. Number 6, you're with me." I saw Lex and his group go off to wherever they were headed, which made little sense to me, if they were searching for Ansem, I should go with Vexen, I had the nose, after all, and I had more experience with Lex than anyone else here. Flaws in the chain of command I guess, I'd address them later. For now, I followed my orders. It wasn't long before we ran into a small group of Heartless, they were battling the inhabitants of this world. Black-haired warriors, who fought with swords, cannons, and calvalry. A bunch of white stallions, and their cannon looked like dragons. It was a unique culture. They were battling Heartless, and losing. Men fell, as did horses. The cannons were their only weapons that had any effect at all against the Heartless. Number 2 looked at me, "Let's go."

I summoned my whip, and Number 2 summoned his weapon. It was wierd double bladed sword. Like a staff, but instead of blades, it was a glowing energy source. It hummed oddly. Number 2 leaped straight into the air, and landed right in the middle of the Heartless. He spun his staff in circles, and dozens of the creatures were destroyed instantly. He was getting better, maybe even better than me. Not to be outdone, I fired two of my energy balls, which I had discovered were really star-powered, a gravity spell, on both sides of him, taking out a good portion of the ranks. The natives saw us battling, and though they had no idea who we were, cheered at our arrival. My guess was we had just done more than their entire army had done the entire battle. The remaining Heartless retreated, melding into the darkness and disappeared.

Keeping our hoods up, we went over to the native army, and were greeted by a heavy-looking man, with a helmet with feathers coming out of it. "Thank you," he said, as he bowed before us, "I am General Li, you have saved us all, and we are grateful. China owes you a debt of gratitude."

Number 2 spoke up in a slightly mysterious voice, dramatized for benefit of keeping our identities secret, "There will be more of them," he said, no greetings, though I suppose it was unneccessary, we wouldn't be telling them our names or where we were from or anything. "My associates and I will help as long as we can, but it is a dangerous task, these creatures have destroyed countless...lands many times before, and we have not been able to fully stop them."

General Li saluted Number 2 smartly, "Then we shall aid you in any way we can. My army is yours to advise and command should you see fit."

"That will not be necessary," Number 2 told him, "we like to stay as un-involved as we can, if you understand, to keep a low profile."

"As you wish," Li said with a slight bow, "will you join us at our camp?"

"No," Number 2 answered him again, "we will come to you though when we are needed. Do not worry, we will not break our word." And with that, he faded out, I could feel him some distance behind me. Following his lead, I did the same.

"Was that wise, speaking to them like that?" I asked him, removing my hood.

"I think it was just enough, maybe borderline excessive, but I don't think so."

"And telling them we've been beaten before?"

"It was the truth, wasn't it?"

"Well," I said, my pride slightly injured at the admission, "we haven't technically been beaten, we just haven't been able to stop them. We can fight the war, we just can't guard the keyhole before Ansem finds it."

"Maybe," he said. He looked up at the sky, his hood still on. After a few seconds I thought he'd look back, but I decided to glance up there anyway.

"The sky seems emptier than it did back home..." I softly spoke, more for my benefit than his, but he just nodded, and we stared at all the future battlefields we'd be headed for sooner or later. One star though...I kept looking back to it. It...felt...familiar. Maybe it was home. And it wasn't until that instant, that I finally felt how far I had come from Traverse Town in these past few months. How I had grown, physically and spiritually. How I had come to be enlightened to other worlds, other peoples, and the Heartless.

I felt like crying.


	24. 24

**24**

**Writer's Note: **Well, it's official, the Organization has officially been dubbed "The 13th Order". Already the news is coming for this story's doom, but for continuity purposes, I shall still refer to it as the Organization, and also as that is what it was called in CoM. This chapter is short because I don't have much time, but feel I should put something in, that AND, Axel isn't going to be showing up much for a little while longer, but it's been 11 chapters since we've seen him. Though I will tell you, 25 is a fun number, so the next chapter will be just as short, but it's a special "guest" chapter. It will be told from a POV that isn't in the Organization (who will it be? The guessing game begins).

**Axel**

I walked home from work. Another day in "Twilight Town". Boring stuff this was. There was no fighting, no wildlife, not the ideal location for a mercenary.

Ever since that night at my world, I had begun a search in my spare time. I was making a living as a security guard around town, but when I could, I went around to all the homes seeking information on this brown-robed guy. I looked everywhere, but there was no sign of Cali. No one knew where she was, I had given up hope. Hope was now forsaken to me, as was most of my happiness. I hadn't met anyone from my world here, but there were others from different worlds, all speaking of black creatures with glowing yellow eyes. Other types varried from world to world, sometimes matches came up, like these giant, floating blobs, someone had called them "Darkballs". One guy I met had just arrived not two days ago. He said his name was Li Shang. His people's entire army had been defeated by the black creatures. He also spoke of humans who had helped him battle the creatures. They had called the invaders "Heartless", and fought alongside the 'Chinese' army. Shang told me that they were warriors from other worlds, powerful fighters, who fought in black robes, and were shrouded in darkness and mystery. Despite their help, Shang's world had apparently fallen. Like me, he had simply blacked out, and awoke here. I asked him about the brown-robed man, but he couldn't help me. Though I did have a suspect. Shang said that the foriegn warriors spoke one name more than others, and it was spoken in an unfriendly manner. The name was Ansem. Though I didn't know if this was the same man I sought, I also asked around for information on this "Ansem" as well now, maybe someone could provide clarity.

I was now filled with a lot of anger and hatred. Hatred at the brown-man, and hatred for these black warriors. Where were they when we needed them most? Were they picking and choosing where they would help? Why hadn't they saved us? Saved Cali...

Whoever they were, they, and the brown-robed man, would pay, and pay dearly.


	25. 25

**25**

**Writer's Note:** Wow I think this should just be a chapter update instead of rare notes. OK, this is the guest chapter, and if you think I meant guess who it'll be I'll kill the suspense for you, NO WAY! This unknown is not to be confused with chapter one or chapter eight, who was obviously DiZ. If you like, put it in with a review, but email me, whoever guesses correctly, first, gets to pick the next character I post (even if it's Larxene, though that will be hella hard, just put your choice with your guess, I'll give credit where it's due, I want to give those of you who follow this story what little I can in terms of gratitude, this seems fitting). Though this chapter is like the last one, space. I want it to be shown that an awful amount of time passes since nothing of serious interest happens, except what has normally been occuring (the war). But here's a hint...I haven't technically 'cheated'...

**-unknown-**

Strange people had been arriving. It had been for a while, I think a year or two. I couldn't tell, but it was normal now. I'd seen men in strange, silvery armor. And there was a few people that seemed like they were lost, but that was almost everyone new who showed up. I'd been told by older people that this wasn't always the way, that this had never happened before. I didn't know, but I didn't really care either, back when I was that young. It was probably a combination of the two. I walked around town a lot, playing with my friends. All the new arrivals forced us to find a secret place where we could hide from everyone, and just be kids. We'd been afraid at first, but gotten over it when we found there was nothing to fear there.

The mayor had set up new refugee districts, places where the new arrivals could find rest while they searched for more permanent housing around our home (what I have since come to know is our world). I had noticed a few people dressed in all black every now and then, and I'd always tried to follow them, but every time I looked behind the next hiding place, they were gone. They confused me, but I didn't really let it get to me. I didn't let a lot get to me actually. See, I was feeling kind of wierd. Like I didn't belong. I felt...not so much an emptiness, but that something was missing inside my heart, or rather a piece of it. It sounds the same, but it's not, I don't know how else I could explain it. I felt fulfilled, I felt happy, but something was supposed to be inside me that just wasn't there. My friends gave me comfort when I felt unsure like that, not like talking to me, but I felt happier when I was with them. Though, even when we were laughing, I'd worry about my heart, and what was in it, or what was missing.

One day, maybe I'd find out. And it ended up I did. And it was a long fight to finally complete myself.


	26. 26

**26**

**Writer's update:**Hey I did it P Portcon was awesome, even if on Sunday we were somewhat slacking in our display... My accquisitions this weekend consist of FMA Box Set 1, (the first dvd and the soundtrack); FLCL dvd 3 hug; a new manga taste test, Tsubasa vol. 1 am liking it; 2 posters, AC-Sephiroth, and the Silver haired men; a free Card Captor Sakura pin, and another free pin I have no clue what it is; Inuyasha playing cards; and a Capsule Corp sew-on patch (i just HAD to get that P), and I'm in the hole $130, but it was a blast. The auction was disturbing...and we had to beg people to play in our Halo tournament (I understand, but don't believe).

Sadly however, I am ashamed to report I did not see a SINGLE Kingdom Hearts Cosplay is sad. It is definitely the year of Naruto...

Now that my much-needed-anime fix is satisfied (but not saturated!) I can come back to writing, and after the fun Fanfiction panel on Sunday afternoon.

This is a little short, just getting back in the groove.

**Lexaeus**

Zexion and I toasted with Vexen. I heard the little clink as our glasses tapped each other. Although there was an empty, cold sound to it. It was frozen, very much like our will. See this wasn't exactly a celebration, but it was an important anniversary. An anniversary that Zexion and I hadn't been at in the begining, but this was something Vexen did every year. The others didn't come, they were resting. Normally there was time for all of us to do that, but things weren't the same anymore.

Vexen took a long sip from his glass, and stared intently at the table top. "Four...years..." He sighed heavily and took another, smaller sip, and put his glass down empty.

"Has it really been that long?" Zexion asked, also focused on the table, it was like he and Vexen could see something I couldn't, and were watching its movements intently, making sure it made no sudden moves. Vexen and Zexion were quirky that way, very similar, but their approaches to that quirkiness were almost polar opposites. Still, they'd become good friends. We all had, I've heard war does that to you.

I yawned. And it's a funny thing, in that yawn, I had proven DiZ correct.

He had asked us if we wanted to add members. The six of us were having trouble. The past two months, Ansem and Maleficient had upped their attacks. And it wasn't quick. We had felt overwhelmed at first, it was the largest attack yet, ten worlds, all at the same time. But we knew, when the Heartless devoured some, and it was inevitable that they would, the pressure would ease, fewer battlegrounds, though more Heartless, but when we were able to distribute ourselves among the worlds it was easier, five was a good number. Though between all our weapons, they were onto us. They had figured it out. Five was the magic number.

Since that major first wave, the invasion was perpetual. Constant warfare, across too many worlds. Right now it was sitting at a very disturbing seven. We had given up trying a constant battle, we'd been doing that for two solid months, maybe a little more. DiZ ordered us to come home, he said it was too much, draining us. While we were here we'd been offered a proposition. DiZ wanted to take more members into the fold. We were against it. Sad to say, we were too prideful to let it happen. Though there were legitimate concerns, like what if we took in too many members? Then it would be easy for Ansem to track us. And the talent of these members might not be up to our own. Though I was the last person who should talk about things like that. Still...none of us wanted to admit a bunch of mindless, puny weaklings were beating us. But we'd come to a compromise, DiZ agreed to allow only those who passed a thourough examination of their darkness and strength, new members would be elites only, like Zexion had been when he joined, albeit not quite to that scale. DiZ said he'd already had someone in mind for the post of Number 7, and was gone right now to see if she could be recruited. It would certainly be odd having a girl among us, our non-interference policy had seen to it that none of us had outside contact for these three years or so we'd been together. It would be an experience.

Zex raised his glass to the air, toasting to himself, "Here's to old times, and old friends," and he drank his glass empty, I followed suit. Vexen had nothing left in his glass, but he raised it trying to drink the last drops. We set our glasses down and sat there for a long time, it was tension, embodied by that kind of self-induced humidity. Ansem was going to defeat us, in the end, unless the Keyblade master showed up soon. I was depressed.

Suddenly Zexion twitched, and sniffed deeply. "He's back."

"Well..." said Vexen, standing up, sighing heavily, "Let's welcome the new girl..."


	27. 27

**27**

**Writer Note: **I apologize for the dead zone I've been in. Things haven't been too good over here, BUT, the bunch of people who sent me messages telling me to get off my butt, I feel I have a responsibility to do so. And, if you've been keeping up with KH2 news, this story is already WAY obsolete. However, there are a few elements that have changed that I will incorporate into the story. You'll see. A little short, but a short update is better than none I suppose. For those who can't place the timeline, we are currently between 5 and 6 years before Kingdom Hearts.

**Axel**

Months, years, who knew? My world gone, countless others with it, and black robed guys fighting Heartless. That's the sum of what I'd learned through that time. I was coming home through the market, but I had more or less come to terms with my world being destroyed. I had more or less come to terms with the fact that I may never be able to meet these black robed men and teach them a lesson. Don't get me wrong, if one walked up to me in the street, I'd cut his throat out before thinking about it. But that wasn't going to happen, or at least, not until the Heartless targeted this world. Luckily, I was able to get my mind off things. I even now had an officially-unofficial girlfriend. I wasn't taking things so serious anymore, and my best friend, Demix, and I had even started a little musical duo, and we performed at cafés and places like that. I was actually feeling happy. And it had been a few weeks since Heartless or anything of that nature had entered my mind.

But that changed very fast.

I was just walking by a vendor, he was making a sale to a man in a red and white robe, with what appeared to be bandages all over his face. The salesman smiled and thanked him for his purchase just as I passed them. And I heard two words that froze me in place.

"Thank you."

It was familiar, and a feeling of death and cold swept over me. I couldn't figure it out at first why those two words made me feel so frightened. But I did realize it; it was him.

That same brown robed man who had raised his arms to the sky, and pronounced the world's destruction, and apparently what marked the start of this sort of "war". I turned around but he was already headed down a corner. I took off after him, but tried to stay concealed. Something was different, and before I charged after him, I wanted to make sure he was alone. I didn't have a weapon on me, I'd long since stopped carrying it in a relatively harmless place like Twilight Town.

The man went down the alley, I crouched down and followed, trying to keep myself covered at all times. He opened a door and went inside, I heard it click behind him. I peered inside a window, he was talking to a few people, a woman, a child, and there was someone else there too, a younger woman, but I noticed she was wearing all black, a long robe, not unlike those the stories had mentioned. Then, suddenly, she disappeared. In a flash of…darkness…I suppose. That's the only way to describe it. Well, I made my stake out, trying to figure out what was going on. Demix would have to wait for another day for band practice, this was far more important. As dusk fell, the door opened, and out came the red man. He started walking in the other direction, and I stepped out into the street, "Hey, you, remember me?"

He turned his head to the side, casting his exposed eye's gaze at me. "I don't believe we've ever met before," he said, and turned, and continued walking.

"You can't fool me!" I shouted at him, "You're the one who was my home 3 years ago! You wore a brown robe, and I saw you commanding those Heartless, you can't fool me, I know that voice, it still haunts me to this day."

Without looking back to me, he softly said, "In that case you should forget you saw me, and leave this to your imagination. I can assure you though, it was not I you saw," and he began his slow amble to wherever he was headed.

This got me pissed. I clenched my fists and ran straight at him, "Don't you turn your back to me or you'll get hurt!" and I swung with my right at the back of his head. He simply side-stepped it, if you could call it that, side-floated was more like it, his movements were so fluidic for someone all bandaged up and slow moving. I looked to my left and saw him, and brought my left around in a swipe from my front, "Take this you!" and before I knew what happened, he was in front of me, his hand locked around my right wrist, preventing me from using it. _Great…I'm so out of practice, if I had kept up my training I'd be able to crush this guy. I remember when I could do that kinda stuff… _I reached up with my left hand, grabbed his shoulder, raised myself up and kicked at him with both feet. But even while my brain was still sending my body these actions, he flipped me over his head as I became airborne and I landed in a bag of trash, my head cracking against the wall of one of the buildings, sending me into a small daze.

"Please forgive me," he told me as he bowed his head, "your wounds do not appear too serious, so I shall leave you now." With that, he began his walk again.

I struggled to my feet. My wrist was numb where he had grabbed it down to the fingers. It didn't bother me, I still had to try. "Where are you going, buddy? We were just dancing," I said as I clenched my fists again. My anger was rising, like it did in the old days. I was so infuriated at the audacity of this guy. He was kinda like me. Made it a shame I hated his guts. This was it, and I ran at him again, swinging with my left fist this time. Rather than dodge, he held up his palm to catch my fist, and at the last millisecond when I saw this, I tried to put even more force behind it. When I made impact, there was a sizzling sound as dark light shot out where out hands impacted, surging all around us.

In his good eye I could see him react in surprise, but before I could make a second move, he grabbed my wrist, pulled me toward him, and hit me at the base of my skull, knocking me unconscious.


	28. 28

**28**

**Larxene**

"Hey, c'mon Larxene, you know you wanna go out with me, why not try me?"

Men…

I can't stand them. Today's model was some punk named Marcus. I don't know why they kept bugging me. I've never wanted to date, I never will, and certainly don't right now. There was a stage where I tried to dress conservatively, thinking that would stop them but they still kept coming. So I decided to go back to wearing my skirts and shorts to screw with their minds a little. I might as well have fun while I have to put up with them right?

Unfortunately this time it seemed to baiting him in. Marcus was a popular guy around town. He was charming, attractive, and could be funny when he needed to be. He also had this feeling about him that he was going places in his life, not be stuck as some mediocre janitor or something.

You're asking why I didn't want to go out with him? That's easy, he was full of himself. All guys are. I've made up my decision that I will only date someone who didn't make the first move. If I could spend time with a guy, and know he was in no way attracted to me, I'd go for him, because I know he has no ulterior motives.

Although I have a better reason. I hate people. Plain and simple as that, I despise most human beings. They should leave me alone. When I was ready, I'd go to them.

But I was fast running out of men on the island. I'd heard the rumors of course, there was probably some prize bowl of money that was to be paid to the "guy who could get with Larxene". That's my only explanation to why they're still so aggressive.

Which actually gave me an idea. Marcus leaned in close, "Please, I can stop asking when you say yes."

He was asking for it. I turned to him away from my soda, and stood up, keeping my face dangerously close to his. "You know, Marc, you're right. I do know I want you to stop asking, so I guess there's only one way to get that to happen." I paused for a split second, long enough to see his lips start curving up into a smile ever so slightly. That was when I grabbed his elbow, spun him to the side, and kicked him square in the stomach, and then in the face so he was on the ground. I looked over at his friends at another of the picnic tables in the park, smiled and gave them a wink, "Anyone else wanna ask me something?"


	29. 29

**Writer Note: **Not related to the story, but I've just heard Passion, and it sounds like it's going to make a good theme for KH2. Just four months people!

I STRONGLY suggest going to (or any KH2 site with media) and download the Promotional Trailer! It's only 10megs, so not that big for dial up people. (bigger versions are about 26). Hopefully you find a translation if your Japanese isn't up to par, but this is THE COOLEST thing ever, I take back everything I once said that questioned the KH2 plot. Drools thinking about Sora's last line It totally kills my story…but hey, you'll find out sooner or later.

On the story, #7 is officially male, apparently there are no female Jusan Kikan beyond Larxene, I thought there would be though so I gambled. But for purposes of continuity, and cuz I'm lazy, I will still refer to #7 as female.

**29**

**Vexen**

I ran through the lower chambers of our hideout. Someone, anyone, had to see this. I had to tell them. I was keeping sentry over the worlds, studying the last few months of the Heartless' movement, and I had seen quite possibly the biggest development of the war.

I ran into Zexion at the bottom of the stairs to the upper floor. Literally, ran into him. He seemed somewhat heightened as well. "What happened?" he asked me.

"We need to see everyone, immediately," I told him, "this is important, we can't even wait for DiZ." I said short of breath.

"He's coming, but I could smell something interesting around his presence too. Everyone's upstairs waiting for him, I was coming to get you." He told me as he led up the flight of steps.

All of us were gathered here. Except for Lexaeus, he was in a battle with the Heartless right now, leading a group of warriors of some kind, some people called the Powhattan and the English, whatever that meant.

I took the small parchment of paper I was studying and laid it out on the table in the reception room DiZ had in this place. I pointed at a battle we'd fought several months ago in a forest world, "Here. As you can see, the Heartless were definitely under direction here. They made moves on us in massive groups, in set numbers. It's the style we've seen before, Ansem and Maleficient were controlling them likely."

"Yes, it's how they've fought since the beginning, what's your point?" Zexion asked me.

I pointed at another section, which was a map of a different world, one we'd known as Port Royal, it had fallen only a couple days ago, "But here, the attacks were dispersed, almost random. I think they were. Utterly random attacks."

Number 2 looked at the map intently, "So you mean to tell us that you believe the Heartless have been let off their leash?"

"Exactly," I said, "Now, according to the natives in Port Royal, there was a seemingly ghost ship spotted not so long before the Heartless attacked. It was said to be a malevolent thing, but within a day's time, they were under attack by Heartless."

"So…it's a magnet?" Zexion asked, "The Heartless are attracted by darkness…and Ansem is letting them go where they please now?"

"Exactly," I concluded.

"What does that mean for us?" asked Number 7 in the back.

"It's the most brilliant thing Ansem's done," I said, "Now, he sent his artificial princess of heart to the Keyblade master, right? Well, the two hearts combined are likely generating a LOT of light. So strong, it might even be repelling the Heartless from it. As long as there is no source of significant darkness, the Heartless will stay away from the world that the Keyblade master and the artificial princess are on."

"Thus making it even more in his favor, that world will quite possibly be the last world to be destroyed," Number 2 concluded.

Zexion's nose twitched a little, like it always did, "Well DiZ is back, we can tell him."

DiZ walked in the front door, or at least it opened and that's what I expected. I heard a shuffling sound, and saw DiZ enter carrying a man with flaming red hair on his shoulders.

Number 2 stepped forward and tensed up, "DiZ, what's the meaning of this?" he asked nervously.

"You may ask Zexion," he said, "I'm sure he felt this one's powers with darkness and light." he answered as he rested the unconscious man in a chair.

"I could smell something powerful, you and this guy, apparently. I didn't think a normal person would be that strong though," he said, staring intently at our guest.

DiZ looked to us, "This man has immense power. Far superior to that of any of us when we first took up our fight. I am going to make him our eighth," he told us very matter-of-factly.

"How do we know he can be trusted?" a deep voice said behind us. I turned and looked to the doorway, and Lexaeus was standing there.

"Did the battle go well?" DiZ asked Lex, maybe he was trying to change the subject or stall for time, maybe he really wanted to know, I wasn't a good judge of character though.

But Lexaeus gets these eyes, they're like stone, and nothing can be read from them. But that's the giveaway; he only got like that when something happened he didn't want to talk about. "Can we trust him?" he asked.

DiZ looked to the stranger, "Oh yes, he thought I was Ansem, and almost gave his life fighting me. We can be assured of his loyalty."

I looked to the red-headed man. He was young, at least compared to me, maybe a year or two younger than DiZ, and his eyes had tattoos or markings of some kind, they went over his eyes vertically, and were black, like they were scars or something. He was certainly a strong heart. I had studied them enough to know that. But I didn't know that he was going to be such a big annoyance back then. He was starting to stir though.

He opened his eyes, and seemed confused, as he was likely trying to take in his surroundings, and then apparently we came into focus, "It's you guys! The ones in black, the legendary would-be saviors, isn't it?" he said sarcastically as he stood up. Before he really made a move, Zexion had his whip out and lashed this man's hand's together. The red-haired man looked down to his now immovable wrists, Zexion's powers were some of the most impressive of our group's, "What the hell?"

DiZ went to him calmly, "Please, listen to me, and I can tell you everything," he said, his arms raised to settle him down.

"And why should I listen to you?" he asked angrily.

"Because we both want the same thing," DiZ answered him, "The end of the war, and the destruction of the Heartless."

This seemed to settle him down a little bit. But I could still feel the tension emanating from him. He sat down again, "I'm listening…"

"So…you guys are trying to stop the Heartless…but you're vastly outnumbered, out gunned, and out classed in almost every way, am I right?"

The explanation had taken about thirty minutes, although I was impressed he could do it in ten seconds. "That about sums it up," I answered.

He looked to DiZ, "So what is there I can do?" he asked.

"You ask to join us, you've seen us, but you do not even know what side we are on. For all you know, we could be trying to get rid of the Heartless so we ourselves can rule this universe," DiZ said, casting a glance to Number 2. _Kind of weird._

The red-haired man looked to Zexion, and then to DiZ, "Well, I see a few good faces here. I think generally you're good people. Count me in."

"In that case, I accept your offer of help," DiZ said, bowing his head. "May I ask your name?"

"It's Axel," he answered, extending his hand, "I'm glad to be of help."

Later that night, I went downstairs to my study, trying to figure out what we could do against the Heartless. Axel was a little off the wire in terms of formality, he didn't have any at all, but I knew he would get the job done. DiZ would be handling his training. That was when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I said, not looking up from my notes. Lexaeus walked in, and took a seat across from me, not saying a word. I took a glance at him, his face was serious, solemn, but I'd known him long enough to know he was seriously thinking about something, something to tell me, but he wasn't sure. "If there is something you wish to tell me, Lexaeus, please tell me."

He cast a glance to side, apparently a trifle embarrassed. He turned back to me, his voice dead serious, "Vexen, you remember when we founded this group, right? Remember how strong our convictions were? How we were going to incorporate both darkness and light into our being, and through the fusion, beat Ansem, and restore order and such." He was staring intently into me, through me, this was an answer he had been waiting to hear for a long time it seemed.

"Yes, I remember Lexaeus, but what is your point?" I asked him, confused, but I had a hunch where this was going.

Lexaeus looked down now, not able to look me in the eye as he said his next statement, "That zeal has lost its effect, hasn't it?"

I thought for a few moments, and looked towards him now, trying to look him I the eye, "Yes, I suppose it has."

We were both quiet for a long time, it must have been ten minutes we sat there. It felt so much longer. A part of me wanting to continue speaking, but the other part wanted him to leave, so that I wouldn't have to go where I saw this conversation heading. Lexaeus looked to me again, "I was thinking…if the fusion powers of Twilight are so much better…why are we losing so badly? I know, absolutes are something to be avoided, but, Ansem…" he stopped, trying to find his words, "Ansem has chosen the path of darkness. And whether we want to admit it or not, the truth is that the fate of the universe lies in his hands. His darkness wields absolute power over our twilight, and there's nothing we can do…"

I tried to remain optimistic, but admittedly, part of me was actually playing devil's advocate, "The truth is only what we make of it Lexaeus. If we feel we are on the true path then we are."

"But we're losing to darkness…" he said softly. He shook his head, standing up. "Well, just a few thoughts."


End file.
